The Face on the Milk Carton
by Darth Skywalker
Summary: When Peter heard his daughter May might still be alive, he didn't think he'd end up having to deal with the Green Goblin, Kingpin, and the Tinkerer just to learn the truth. Continues the defunct series "Peter Parker: Spider-Man," collects issues #156-165.
1. Confirmation

_At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility._

**PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN**

#156

Starring:

**Peter Parker, **aka** SPIDER-MAN**

**Norman Osborn (in a flashback capacity)**

**Alison Mongrain (in a flashback capacity)**

**Mary Jane Watson-Parker**

**Aunt May Parker**

Previously:

After having just defeated Mendel Stromm, better known as the Robot Master, Peter Parker was suddenly alerted via a pager that his wife, Mary Jane, was in child labor. Leaving his clone Ben Reilly, who was Spider-Man at the time and had assisted him in the battle, to query the downed villain, Peter rushed off to be with "MJ." Unfortunately, immediately after Peter's departure Ben was greeted by Stromm's employer--Norman Osborn, better known as the Green Goblin. He proceeded to knock Ben unconscious, and as for Peter, as he arrived at the hospital, he was met by a "doctor," who drugged him at the first chance. As this happened, several rooms away, MJ delivered her child, only to have it be a "stillborn." Unbeknownst to her, the "nurse," Alison Mongrain, an employee of Osborn's, secretly snatched the child--alive and well--from under the sheets and prepared her to be given to Osborn. As for Peter, he soon awoke in a Spider-Man costume to come face-to-face with Norman, who he then proceeded to duke it out with in a legendary clash for the ages. Lives of the friends that Peter had known all his life were threatened, but in the end, it was the life-ending sacrifice from Ben Reilly that helped Peter save the day, and realize that he had not been a clone after all. Peter Parker as Spider-Man was back. This story takes place several months after the events in Amazing Spider-Man #491 (50)

**The Face On The Milk Carton--Part One of Ten**

_"Confirmation"_

_Some Years Ago_

Orvieto, Tuscany, Italy

Norman Osborn sipped on his daquieri and looked at the aging female sitting across from him.

"Well, Ms. Mongrain?"

The woman walked to the back and produced a small bundle, which consisted of an infant that was sound asleep.

"Hmm," he thought...with a deceitful look on his face that nearly scared the wits out of Mongrain. Months ago, when she had agreed to steal away the Parkers' newborn for Osborn, she had figured that would be the end of her association with this notorious criminal mastermind and psychopath. However, that had not been the case, as while she had been enjoying her "life of freedom" in Italy, nursing this child which she figured she would soon put up for adoption, none other than her former employer showed up at her residence, all-too-casually, asking for a drink.

"And how have you been, my dear?" asked Osborn. To be perfectly honest...he looked bored. She couldn't tell if he was adressing the infant or her, so she stayed silent.

Osborn pinched the infant's cheek, causing it to cry. "Aww, there there, Ms. Parker. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm only going to place you in good hands...someone who will be quite desirous of your presence, I'm sure." He scooped up the bundle and looked at Alison for a moment, then produced a stack of hundred dollar bills, placing them on the table. "For your trouble, Ms. Mongrain."

He then turned away and left the villa on foot as she stared at the stack of bills next to Osborn's unfinished daquieri, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

That was the last time, before her dying breath where she would attempt to confess her sin to Mary Jane Parker, that she would ever see Norman Osborn.

_Now_

Manhattan, NY

The traffic had been stopped for hours on 46th, 47th, 48th, 49th, and other streets intersecting Broadway, and on the sidewalks, people had stopped to stare...with fascination, repulsion, and amusement. The cops ran in pursuit...but every time they got close...there was something within them that just held them back. Deep down inside, the task force knew that they would have to face their innermost fears if they got too close or attempted to reel the offender in.

Nearly 10 robberies had been committed on that same morning...and all those whom were victims were male. There was indeed a pattern.

The lead officer, who had been in hot pursuit of the thug, halted and regrouped with his men, ordering them to draw.

"Aim for the...well...you know."

His men gave him strange looks, but he silenced them with one of his own, indicating that he meant business.

They lined up, pistols cocked at the ready, and then the officer gave the word.

As they all fired for his rear end, to their amazement, he seemed to anticipate the gunshots and performed some amazing aerial acrobatic moves, dodging each and every bullet till he was out of range. Somehow, he managed to gymnastically maneuver his way to a rooftop...and then, at that point, they got the feeling that the guy had just broken home free.

As the criminal continued, he stopped, looking down and back at the pissed off cops, grinned and yelled, "YEAH!!! JUSTICE FOR NUDIES!!!!"

Unfortunately, that was his mistake.

The streaker with a felonious heart turned around to be greeted by a powerful kick in his bare nards.

He crumpled to the ground of the rooftop, where a blue and red figure, the source of the kick, came down to stand over him. He shook his head.

"And you couldn't rob a clothing store _because...?_" queried the costumed guy.

He then grabbed the bag that the streaker had been hoisting with him, holding the contents of his heists, and tossed it to the bewildered five-o. Then he pointed to the downed man and asked, "Want me to toss him down there too, where you guys could catch him?"

The force immediately protested against such an act, and with that, Spider-Man knew that his work here was done. He fired a web onto a building and swung into the daylight, brainstorming in regards to the headline that would grace the papers tomorrow about this one.

As he web-swung through Manhattan, stopping more traffic and eliciting stares, shouts, and other indications of excitement and amazement, he replayed what had just happened this morning. Running through it in his head made him wince, as he pieced together the bits and pieces he had seen of this guy. He had watched him for a while, trying to figure out a way to accost him without physically having to touch him, yet catch him off guard at the same time. So the guy decided to streak through Manhattan--ok, typical. But robbing stores where only males worked? Must have taken advantage of the male phobia of not desiring to touch another nude man. People stopping and staring, but not doing anything? Same reason. Being able to avoid the gunshots? He had to have been a gymnast.

_But he couldn't avoid me,_ he thought, smiling under his mask. However, the smile quickly faded when Spider-Man realized what this really meant.

Recently, it had seemed that Peter's enemies as of late, the _major_ villains, especially--had all been getting more and more dramatic and then in the end turning out to be really lame or having no substance behind their threats. He wondered what was up. Vulture making ominous threats of attacks after a petty robbery, and then being late for a "showdown?" Doc Ock threatening him with some "John Hancock" device. The Green Goblin trying to "defeat him by getting Spider-Man to kill him?" The Rhino being a lame thug for Hammerhead's crew, who it turned out Hammerhead pitted against Spider-Man just to get rid of them anyway? The only villain that had really challenged him was Morlun, and according to Ezekiel, a man who had appeared out of the blue telling him about Spider-myths and then had seemingly died in the final battle against the creature, there were more evil spider-enemies to come.

Months had passed, and none had showed. He could safely assume that all of that was indeed just a hoax. But this was one of the things that upset him as well. Petty thugs committing crimes that made him crack up to the point where he wondered if he would be able to successfully thwart the baddie without dying of laughter. Was it all becoming too much for him?

Maybe he needed a sidekick.

The Terrifying Termite.

Ehh...no.

Albany, NY

"OK, cut!"

She relaxed, and looked at the source of the voice, a plump, middle-aged man sitting in a director's chair.

Mary Jane Parker, the wife of Peter Parker, had finally cinched a movie deal and was now in the process of shooting for that particular film, a romantic comedy entitled _Angels from Hell_. She played the best friend of the lead character, a role which was just fine by her, as this was her first "real" movie and she had absolutely no idea what to expect. This particular scene took place in a mall, where MJ's character took the lead character shopping for a dinner date with her love interest.

As MJ sipped on bottled water, she stood up and looked in the crowd of people staring at the ongoing commotion taking place in this very public atmosphere. She found the person she was looking for, and grinned as she walked off set and received her with a hug.

"So, Aunt May," she asked, embracing the old woman. "How was I?"

As May pulled back, she looked at MJ and smiled, only giving her a thumbs-up sign. "Not bad. So...what's supposed to happen next?"

MJ thought about it...and then she seemed visibly shaken in response to May's question. She suddenly darkened and took a seat on a faraway bench, away from the set (and from prying eyes). Tears then began falling from her eyes.

Aunt May was shocked. "Why...Mary Jane...what's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

MJ shook her head. "May..." she began, but faltered.

"Yes, dear?" she asked.

MJ shook her head again, getting worse by the second. "Not you..." she said.

It took Aunt May a moment or two before she realized what MJ was talking about.

_"Oh,_" she whispered, realization dawning upon her. She quietly took hold of her nephew's wife's hand, and the younger woman clasped it for strength, and then she wiped some tears with her free hand and spoke.

"I'm supposed to be a single mother...who raises her child up in such a loving manner...and then in this next scene..." she wept...and she stopped, tearing up again.

"What is it, Mary Jane?" asked May gently. "What happens to your character?"

MJ croaked back tears. "She dies in a car accident...and in the end, the lead character takes in her daughter and marries the man my character wanted her to hook up with," she wept, and after this confession she began to openly sob, hugging May and dampening her collar immediately.

"There, there, my love," soothed Aunt May. Then she steeled herself, hoping that what she was about to say wouldn't hurt MJ too hard. "Listen...Mary Jane...this may be hard for you to accept...but the loss of your daughter is something you may have to put in the past now. And no, I don't believe she's dead."

MJ looked at May, stopping her sobbing momentarily. "You really think so?" she asked, almost childishly.

May nodded firmly. "Of course, my dear. Norman Osborn may be many things, but even he is not evil enough to kill a child. Trust me. However...the girl is probably approaching three years old by now...and whoever is raising her is probably doing so with all the love and care that the girl truly deserves."

"But she's my child," retorted MJ, now getting annoyed. "What's so bad about being able to get my own child back?"  
May looked gravely away from MJ. "I know this might sound hard for your to accept, Mary Jane...but to take a child away from those parents that properly raised her...woudl be to open up another can of worms...legally, emotionally, and otherwise. Ask yourself...can you or Peter afford to deal with such a thing like this in your lives? Not having a child, because I'm sure you could handle that. Rather, dealing with all the hurdles that are necessary to win her back?"  
MJ looked away, not having an answer. Because deep down inside, she knew May was right.

Manhattan

As Peter swung through the air, he wondered if he should drop MJ a call from his cellphone. Before he could speak, he heard the phone ring from within his utility belt, and he quickly fiddled around in mid-air to grab his phone.

That was a huge mistake for him, however. His Spider-Sense went off just as he was fiddling.

He looked up in the air only to have his head crash into something, and his webline broke.

Spider-Man began to fall, and realized he had been attacked in the form of a huge, obese person falling on him from above...probably from a plane or a helicopter. Whichever it was, there was no way he could tell as right now his only concern was getting off this guy.

But there was no such luck, as the guy had wrapped Spidey in a bear hug. As Peter fought to get the guy off him, he looked to the ground and realized he had only one hope in the short amount of time he had.

He freed one arm and fired all his webbing to the ground to create a cushion, as best as he could, to make the impact minimal...for him.

As he hit the pavement below, in an alleyway no less, he immediately fell unconscious, but before he blacked out, the bounce off the pavement made him realize that he would live. In short, the webbing had worked.

_Hours later..._

Peter awoke, feeling instant pain all around his body. His back felt like it was broken, and his ribs (as usual) were toast. He tried to get up, and staggered to his feet. At least he could walk, he thought. He looked around for the fat guy that had caused this, but didn't find a sign of him. So the guy had first called Peter's cellphone to distract him, and then, when it was too late for Peter, had toppled on him--in air. An extremely risky and dangerous thing to do, but he had succeeded. Perhaps it would be best, thought Peter, if like car drivers, he did not talk on the cellphone and swing at the same time. Even a spider-sense wasn't of any use this time.

As he surveyed his surroundings, he suddenly realized he was not alone. He walked a few steps forward to find two homeless men excitedly snapping pictures of him. For a moment, he let them have their fun, and then a breeze passed through the alley and it brushed Peter's face.

_His face..._

Putting a hand to his cheek, Peter immediatley felt bare skin. Then he acted. He lunged at the two men and grabbed their cameras, crushing one in each hand. Then he grabbed each man by their coats and looked at them in the eye, jaw gritted. "Did you--"  
One of them shook his head and babbled. "No, Mr. Spider-Man sir, it wasn't us, sir!!! We came and we found you this way!!! Honest-to-God, sir, I swear on what little I have..." with that, the guy began breaking down. Peter let him go, abruptly realizing how evil he must have seemed to this guy. He turned away.

"Look...I'm sorry. Do me a favor though, guys. Try not to make any money off of my face or this incident...and I will make sure you guys are compensated for your trouble."

He didn't hear any affirmation, only footsteps of men running away. Peter sighed, upset and now lost. He had no idea how long he had been out, and who else had been there besides those two guys. Had anyone seen him like this? Without the mask? If so--

Interrupting his thoughts, a box flew down from the abandoned building that formed the back wall, or the "dead end," of the alley. It was of cardboard, and his Spider-Sense didn't go off immediately, so he opened it up to find his mask inside, slightly damaged--probably from the fall he had experienced earlier. He immediately put it on. Was this someone's idea of a sick joke?

He looked up to find a shadowy figure looking down at him. "Don't worry, Mr. Parker. Your secret is safe is with me," he declared. Then he walked away, laughing.

As Peter tried to climb up the wall, he felt a shooting pain in his back, and stopped the chase.

This indeed, was a nice setup. What was he going to do? How many people knew? Who was that guy? And most importantly, how did he get his cellphone number?

_Too many questions_, he thought, groaning and sinking down in the back of the alleyway.

**TO BE CONTINUED in Peter Parker: Spider Man #157 -- _San Gimignano_**


	2. San Gimignano

_At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility._

**PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN**

#157

Starring:

**Peter Parker, **aka** SPIDER-MAN**

**Mary-Jane Watson Parker**

**Aunt May Parker**

Previously:

After having just defeated Mendel Stromm, better known as the Robot Master, Peter Parker was suddenly alerted via a pager that his wife, Mary Jane, was in child labor, and rushed off to be with "MJ." Unfortunately, as he arrived at the hospital, he was met by a "doctor," who drugged him at the first chance. As this happened, several rooms away, MJ delivered her child, only to have it be a "stillborn." Unbeknownst to her, the "nurse," Alison Mongrain, an employee of Osborn's, secretly snatched the child--alive and well--from under the sheets and prepared her to be given to Osborn. Peter, meanwhile, soon awoke to come face-to-face with Norman, who he then fought but did not kill.

The fate of the child, meanwhile, has been unknown to anyone except Osborn himself, who was greeted by Alison Mongrain several years ago in a villa in Tuscany--and it was here that he proceeded to take the child from Mongrain once again, claiming that he had found full-time parents for the infant. However, today the Parkers still have no word on the fate of their child, and while Spider-Man accosts streakers, Mary Jane is reminded of this dreadful memory through a relevant script for a movie. We are left in last month's episode with Peter being distracted while web-swinging, being attacked by a giant behemoth in-air, and falling to the pavement, knocking him unconscious. He awakes to find homeless people snapping pictures of him...without his mask. While the homeless folk are easily dealt with, he is given his mask by a shadowy figure from above him who promises to keep his identity safe...

**The Face On The Milk Carton--Part Two of Ten**

_"San Gimignano"_

Manhattan, NY

A solitary figure sat atop a gargoyle, looking gloomily as the sun set in the distance and left a shimmering orange horizon as a going-away present.

All he knew was that nothing was certain anymore. He had been unmasked, and who had been privy to his unshielded face while he was down was a total mystery to him. He wished he could be sure...but he just didn't know. For all he knew, J. Jonah Jameson himself could have walked by and seen his ex-freelance photographer in a Spider-Man costume.

Peter Parker grinned. No, Jameson had seen Spidey out of costume once before, in the infancy of his tenure as Spider-Man during a confrontation where Doctor Octopus had unmasked Peter. To his credit, JJJ had responded with something like, ""I ordered him to take pictures of Doctor Octopus, not try to be a hero!" (Amazing Spider-Man #12). Luckily, in both instances, Peter had not been doing anything spectacular or out of the ordinary while he was unmasked. In fact, today he had just simply been lying there, unconscious. Anyone passing by, in fact, would have just seen him looking lifeless and would have figured that it was a homeless bum still thinking it was Halloween or something. With this thought in mind, Peter's mind eased, slightly, and he surveyed the city from this perch.

Spider-Man, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, shot a webline and began to swing throughout his city. Perhaps today, there would be no villains to deal with after all, and no lunatic streakers either. Certainly, this time, if someone was going to fall on top of him, he would be prepared and ready--he had learned the valuable lesson of not picking up his cellphone while webswinging. He had paid for it with his body being in its current state. With that thought, he immediately decided to swing towards the small apartment he shared with his wife, Mary Jane, who was out of town filming for her first movie with Aunt May.

As he reached the rooftop, he quickly looked to make sure that no one was looking, and then he dived into the vent. Once the vent led him inside the building, he scrambled out of the small hole that was just enough for him to plop out of, but not enough to damage the ventilation system, and then landed on the faraway stairs. In the apartment building, it was too easy to hide out. The fact that it was an older building, with no security cameras whatsoever, helped immensely. If someone were to be around as he would make his grand entrance from the ventilation shaft, he could easily cling to the walls and just stay there, where he would obviously stay unnoticed in the eyes of the average person.

Spidey landed on his feet, wincing as pain shot up his legs. He bore it though, and gritted his way to his apartment, where he entered, locked the doors behind him, and after sliding out of the costume, taking a long shower, popping some Advil and wrapping bandages around his trashed ribs, he crashed down on the couch and started snoring immediately.

San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy

The room was dark, and understandably so. There was no need for light in this case. Since he had been taught his lesson by God, most likely in retribution for the acts he had committed against his so-called "arch-enemy," this was what he had to live with--the same sort of crippling handicap that his enemy faced. And based on the way the world ran, there was no chance of him ever "reversing" such an ailment.

The big man tapped around, searching for his walking cane, but felt nothing but air. He dared not rise, as his wife was sound asleep in the other room and could not help him if he was unable to find his way. He tried to recall where he had left the stick, and then remembered it was on the sofa itself. As he grasped the piece of ivory that had become his best friend in the past few months, he considered all that had happened to him in the past few months.

The daughter of one of his ex-employees, one he had trained so well...and with such love and care...had abruptly turned her back on him, and had fired the bullets that had caused him to become like this...blind. (Daredvil #15, Volume 2) Better known as Echo, aka Maya Lopez, she had been told that the Daredevil had been responsible for killing her father, Crazy Horse, when in reality the blind man himself had done the deed. (Daredevil #10, Volume 2) The reasons, of course, were all justifiable. But they could not be revealed to Maya. For how would this girl understand? Her response to finding out the truth had been nothing short of predictable. That response had now left him in this permanent mess he was in at the moment. Quite an inconvenience. Luckily, he had found an alternative even before he had met Maya, and he had no doubt that this alternative would make him proud. Making sure that this alternate solution worked out was what he currently occupied his time with.

As he rose to his feet with the assistance of the cane, he walked around, trying to get his bearings, adjusting to his new life without light. He had entered rehab sessions with the encouragement and assistance of his wife Vanessa, a true Godsend. Without her, he would not have been able to safely get out of America and make his way here (Daredevil #30, Volume 2). With less caution, he might have ended up in sing-sing, doing time forever. He saw what had happened to Gotti--once the man had been caught, it was all toast from there.

But he had not been caught after all, he thought. Before he could ponder over more of his life, the phone rang and he picked it up, still remembering where that was, at least, and answered.

"Boss," came the voice from the other line. "The first phase of the plan is complete. Ready to initiate the next phase."

The bulky, massive man nodded thoughtfully, although the person on the other end could not see him, and then he spoke. "Good. Fancy Dan and Montana wait at the ready over here, enjoying themselves in the local brothels. As for you, I want you to engage our adversary tonight. Make it very similar to your last attack on him, but this time, engage him for he will be prepared."

As the sun rose, illuminating the room with a natural shine that the blind man could never enjoy, he sighed. "And Ox," he said. "One more thing...let Spider-Man, whom we now know to be Mr. Peter Parker, be aware that this one came to him courtesy of the Kingpin."

NYC

Peter lay in his bed, dreaming that he was holding his daughter, who looked back at him with a sparkle in her eyes, giggling. As he reached out to the crib to grab her, suddenly the crib closed in on the infant and became a cage, and the baby's giggles turned into sobs, and then shrieks as she suddenly vanished into thin air. Startled, looking around for an explanation, Peter got one as he saw the Ox pop out of the window.

With that, Peter awoke from his nightmare to find the real-life Ox actually break through his window, coming straight for him. Without hesitation, Peter realized that this had been the man responsible for the attack on him back in the alleyway, and had obviously used a clever means to deduct the Wall-Crawler's identity. But there were a few strange details regarding this middle-of-the-night rousing that Peter noticed right away.

As the Ox dove for Peter's cracked ribs, the wall-crawler, in his boxers, flipped up to his ceiling, while the behemoth crashed into MJ's dresser. As the Ox staggered up, covered in feminine clothing, he was met by a laughing Spider-Man, who had used the quick distraction to get into his "work clothes." "Lookin _foxy, Oxy_," said Peter, now in costume.

With that, the Ox roared and attacked Peter again, running at him like a crazed bull. Peter jumped up and landed on the Ox's back, imitating the _matadors_ of Spain, yelling "Ole!!!" This frustrated the giant to no end, and he began to actually tear at his back as a bull would do, snorting and roaring wildly. At this point, Spidey decided it was time to take this fight outside the apartment. MJ would kill him if she saw this, knowing that her dresser and her clothes were damaged and that she could have been put at risk as well, though she probably knew Peter would do everything in his power to make sure that she never got involved in these confrontations.

Spidey scrambled to the window and shot a webline, and shouted in joy, "Woo-hoo!" as he soared down, only to feel a familiar sensation on his back two seconds later. Once again, the Ox had decided to fall on him in-air. But this time, Peter was prepared. He flipped around just as the Ox fell on him, and this time _he_ was the one holding the bigger man in a bear hug. Then he did the worst thing possible--he began to sing, remembering the lessons he had once gotten from his once-girlfriend and still-friend, Felicia Hardy (Spider-Man/Black Cat #3 (hope this ends soon)) . "Take me back, I wanna be there with you, It happened just like that, yeah! Slip in a dream or two, Come on, take me back, Oh, deja vuuuuuu!" The Ox loosened his grip and this gave Spider-Man the opening he needed--he immediately took a hold of the huge guy, and with great effort, swung to the nearest rooftop, where he and Ox collapsed. Instantly, Ox rose and began to take shots as Spider-Man, trying to knock him off the roof. Spider-Man sucked it up and took three powerful punches, and then as Ox nailed him with a fourth to the solar plexus, Spider-Man feigned a fall off the rooftop, and Ox looked down, watching in satisfaction as the hero tried to fire web-shooters back up at him.

Ox simply ripped apart the webbing and Peter continued to fall, but he had a contingency plan in place. As he was about to hit the pavement (again), he webbed the nearest building and yelled up at Ox. "Hey big guy, anyone tell you, you bear an uncanny resemblence to...that one guy?" The Ox roared in rage again. Spider-Man swung right up to the rooftop again, landing behind his adversary. He then slapped his head in mock-annoyance. "Oh, yeah, now I remember...you know, the Hulk? Yeaaahhh...him...just a little bit...more tan. And with blonde hair. I know a guy--"

The Ox nearly charged into him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" yelled Spider-Man. "Touchy, aren't we? Well, two can play at that game." He then jumped back on Ox's back, but was thrown into the door that led down into the building itself from the roof, and the impact of Peter hitting the door destroyed the hinging. Peter staggered to his feet, at the top of the stairwell on the inside. This was an apartment building similar to his own, and there was no way he wanted anyone else to see this...or worse, get involved. As he fired a webbing above Ox's head to the next building, to try to high-tail it, suddenly he realized that the Ox was charging right at him, and that there was only one way out...to go into the apartment, because he had effectively eliminated himself an escape route--the stairwell, after all, was pretty tight. He looked up and realized there was not enough room to maneuver to the ceiling, and realized that his only option was to meet the Ox head on. "OK, Oxy, if you want, then let's joust," he remarked, as he began to charge right at the Ox. "But keep in mind, I ain't movin aside."  
  
"Neither am I, Spider-punk!" shouted the Ox, and then he yelled as he and Spidey crashed into each other. Unfortunately, with Peter's ribs being in the state that they were, this was something he should have avoided. Peter collapsed under the weight of the big guy, who chuckled as he proceeded to sit on Spidey, who now winced.

"Yeah, no wisecracks now, huh spandex boy? I got a little message for you!" The Ox dragged Spider-Man up by his hand and pulled up the costume's right sleeve. "What're you--" The Ox slugged Spidey once, and Peter shut up, giving into the fatigue. "Mr. Parker," he stated, not surprising Peter with the fact that he knew of his identity. "I'm here to send you a message." He produced matches from one pocket, and then a bit of wood in the other. He then lit the wood on fire, produced a brand shaped in the figure of a crown, dipped the crown into the fire, and immediately pressed it against Spidey's wrist.

_Pain!_

"The Kingpin says hello!" he said, smirking as Peter tried his best to grit his teeth and bear it. When the mark was made, the Ox finally let go and left through the busted door.

Moments later, as Peter recuperated on the rooftop, the Ox returned, his back colliding with the top wall of the stairwell, apparently on the receiving end of a punch or a kick.

_What the hell?_

Albany, NY

Mary Jane called Peter, and there was no response. Although she did not worry, it was May who seemed more concerned.

"Why he isn't he picking up, Mary Jane? Doesn't he always take a phone with him, even while he's web-swinging?" she asked. MJ shrugged. She didn't want to upset the old lady, and especially after she had soothed her during the torturous recollection of her lost child, she wanted to somehow repay the favor.

"Look, Aunt May...perhaps he's...occupied. Besides, I would think it's probably dangerous for him to pick up even if he is...involved with something. I'm sure he'll get back to us as soon as possible," she said. Then she sighed, looking at the director who seemed to be wanting to film again. "All right, look Aunt May. He's planning on starting filming again...here, why don't I do this...let me leave my phone with you, and if he calls back, you can take care of it."

May nodded, looking resigned but tense. As she watched her nephew's wife start the next scene, she wished this were not necessary. She fully supported Mary Jane's career in acting, but in her honest opinion...such a role was nothing short of an insult, and it was trivial. As an avid movie-lover, she had never cared for this sort of fluff, and had always admired the mysterious dramas, the detective stories, and the indie-styled romance stories. What MJ was acting in was all right, but to her it seemed like cookie-cutter work. She hoped that any sort of decent acting in this film would at least get her more offers...and hopefully not because MJ was a supermodel, but more because she could actually act, which May was convinced of.

As she reflected over this while MJ acted, her phone suddenly rang. May picked it up, and without even asking, excited, she blurted out, "Peter?"

A female voice responded on the other end. "No...this isn't Peter. But I called to tell you this much...a warning is being sent out, to stay away, and to not interfere in business that is not yours. No matter how much it may have seemed like it is your busines...just let the status quo rule and do not try to get in the way."

May's eyes narrowed. "Who is this? Where are you calling from? Why, I'll--"

"Don't start with that. Be thankful that your warning is limited to this phone call and that a certain someone you know has to face a much greater warning so that we can convince him to stay out of our affairs."

The phone then went dead, and May's eyes widened.

San Gimignano

Vanessa Fisk calmly hung up the phone and looked at her husband.

"Is it done?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Good," he replied, and then rose, as she scrambled over to help him up. Wilson searched for his wife's shoulder and found it. "Prepare the private jet, my love. We're going back to see the beginning of the future commence."

Vanesssa took her husband's hand and silently squeezed it.

Nothing could take this happiness away from them. Nothing. Wilson's plan had made sure of that.

NYC

As Peter looked at the downed form of the Ox, suddenly he saw a dark shadow move up the stairs...more like...glide.

Waitaminit...glide?

As the figure finally moved out of the building and onto the rooftop, Peter saw the glider...the bag of pumpkins...and the purple and green costume.

The Green Goblin, whose civilian name was Norman Osborn, stood on his glider, looking down at Spider-Man with a grave expression in his eyes.

"About time," muttered Peter, clenching his fists.

**TO BE CONTINUED in Peter Parker: Spider Man #158 -- _Enter The Goblin_**


	3. Enter The Goblin

_At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility._

**PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN**

#158

Starring:

**Peter Parker, **aka** SPIDER-MAN**

**Norman Osborn, **aka **THE GREEN GOBLIN**

**Mary-Jane Watson Parker**

**Aunt May Parker**

**Wilson Fisk, **aka **THE KINGPIN**

**Vanessa Fisk**

**Fancy Dan, Montana, & Ox,** aka **THE ENFORCERS**

Previously:

During a pivotal battle with the Robot Master, Peter Parker was alerted that his wife, Mary Jane, was in child labor, and rushed off. As he arrived at the hospital, he was drugged at the first opportunity. Several rooms away, MJ delivered, only to have it be a "stillborn." Unbeknownst to her, the child was alive but was secretly snatched by "nurse" Alison Mongrain, an employee of Norman Osborn's, the man who had been in hiding for years. Peter soon awoke to come face-to-face with Norman and defeated him handily.

The fate of the child, meanwhile, has been unknown to anyone except Osborn himself, who met up with Mongrain again in a villa in Tuscany a few months later to relieve her of the infant. Two years later, the Parkers still have no word on the fate of their child, and while Spider-Man accosts streakers, MJ films a movie, being reminded of her child's existence through a script. After dealing with the streaker, Peter is distracted while web-swinging and attacked by a giant behemoth in-air causing him to fall to the floor unconscious. As he awoke, he saw his accoster's shadow tossing him the mask in a box and mocking him as he left.

It turns out that the assailant was the Ox, of Enforcer fame. He returns to attack Spider-Man again, in his home, proving that he knows exactly about Peter's being Spider-Man. Unfortunately, the fatigue is too much for Spider-Man to take and he is eventually defeated. The Ox reveals that the Kingpin is his backer, who at the same time in Europe has his wife, Vanessa, send Aunt May (in Albany at MJ's movie filming) a threat to "not get in the way" through the phone. But as the Ox is leaving, he is sent reeling back by none other than Osborn, in his Green Goblin garb. The Goblin then turns his attention to the downed Spider-Man...

**The Face On The Milk Carton--Part Three of Ten**

_"Enter The Goblin"_

Manhattan

Peter Parker gritted his teeth, staggering to his feet. He stared at the figure hovering in the air directly above him. The mask, which had a history of mimicking the facial expressions of its owner, for some reason stayed relatively neutral yet grim. There was no hint of a smile, no hint of anger...in fact, there almost seemed to be concern!

Could this be a result of the conversation he had held with this man during one of his darkest hours (Issue #145)? Was it because of the last fight where Peter had disposed of him so humiliatingly (Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #1)? Or was it something else?

Peter was truly chilled, but he nodded. "So, you're behind this whole thing, huh? Or do you have a bone to pick with the Kingppin?" he asked.

The Green Goblin, known to the rest of the world as businessman Norman Osborn, lowered the glider closer to Peter, and shook his head, frustrated. "Listen, Peter, I've got to talk to you—"

He never got to finish his sentence, because a fist connected with his right cheek, and it knocked him right off the glider. Spider-Man pounced on him, and he kicked him to the open door where the downed Ox lay. Moments ago, the Ox had just dispatched of Spider-Man, apparently on behalf of the Kingpin, when suddenly Osborn had made his entrance and had sent the Ox flying back onto this rooftop where the two now battled it out.

As Peter grabbed the Goblin by his collar, he kneed him in the groin, and then head-butted him. He then looked at the downed Goblin, wiping his hands off as if he had touched something dirty.

"Don't ever try to persuade me again. I've made it clear to you time and time again, that I don't want you to have anything to do with my life, and yet you keep coming back to make my life and the lives of my loved ones miserable. You're lucky I only banged you up, if I was in a bad mood, I would have made sure you were sent back to jail, and this time—"

It was the Goblin who cut Spider-Man off this time, but he staggered up to his feet and was blunt. He looked Spidey in the eyes and took off the mask. Peter respected that gesture. _Fair enough_, he thought, and removed his own. As Peter got to see Norman's face for the first time since this melee had begun, he was struck by the guilt that dominated his expression, and it seemed to him that the man had truly aged since they had last encountered one another. Something _was_ up, he knew immediately.

Norman stood, looking off in the distance. He was silent for a moment, and Peter patiently waited. Then he ended the awkward quietness.

"Peter, my boy—"

"I'm not your boy," Peter retorted.

Norman winced, his miserable expression becoming even more miserable. But he steeled himself, sighed, and continued. "I regret to inform you that once again...I am the source of your problems." As Peter's expression turned into one of rage again, Osborn raised a hand. "Wait...wait...let me explain. It's not how you think it is. It was my...generosity...for a lack of better words, which has led to things being the way they are, at the moment. Your dilemma...has, unfortunately...been my fault, indirectly. For that, I am truly sorry. But for what I am about to tell you, I will probably never be able to make up to you. And believe me, Peter—since our "truce," and since you knocked sense into my brain in our last encounter where I tried to revoke that—I've been trying to change. I honestly have. I know, you're probably laughing. But I seriously have been. So please, if you feel like repeating what you just did to me, I can't blame you."

Peter was _really_ interested in what Osborn had to say now, as the man moved his head down, avoiding eye contact, back to Peter.

"Peter...your daughter, May, is alive."

Shock, rage, relief, anger, and joy all welled up in Peter at once, and for a second, he had no idea what to say, do, or think.

_Alive?_ But how could that be, she was a stillborn—waitaminute...that woman had come MJ saying that May was alive (Issue #96)...but no, that was about Aunt May...unless...

"During your battle with Mr. Stromm, I sent one of my employees, a woman by the name of Alison Mongrain, to help deliver your wife's child...and then steal it, telling her that it was a stillborn (Amazing Spider-Man #418). I took young May from Alison for a while, and had her kept safe. You, of all people, should have known. During that battle where I came "back from the dead," I constantly told you that you had no idea what I had taken from you...remember?"

Peter recalled that battle. It was also where Osborn had murdered his clone, Ben Reilly...another casualty in the long list of those close to him that the Goblin and his legacy had been responsible for destroying.

"Well...after the battle, I gave May back to Alison, who by this time had relocated to Italy. It was then that I began tormenting you to make up for times lost, I suppose...but after the incident with the Scriers (Issue #98), I took some time off and decided to do something for May. I went back to Italy and took her from Mongrain...again...and gave her to none other than...Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin. And he has been her adoptive father for the past few years."

Peter was too floored to be shocked anymore, and _now_ he was upset and angry. He threw his hands up in disgust. "Why Kingpin? How much did he pay you—"

Osborn cut him off, and Peter was too drained emotionally and physically to resist. "He had informed me that his wife could no longer conceive, and since the...death of their son (Daredevil #31, Volume 2), they had been looking for a new child. They wanted to start over...and I figured that it would be best perhaps to let May live a normal life, so I delivered her to the Fisks. The reason that you are being attacked now is because he knows you are her real father, and even though it is public knowledge that he is coming to New York, he is bringing his daughter with him. Thus, he has put muscle against you to keep you occupied and not interfering with his vacation."

After a few moments of silence, Peter guessed that this was all that Osborn had to say. Before he could begin his tirade, his phone rang.

Peter looked at the phone, annoyed, and pulled it out of his costume's belt. _Aunt May_...

He picked it up and began to speak with his Aunt, who babbled frantically.

"Wait...what...Aunt May, you're...what happened?" he asked, a concerned look creeping on his face as Osborn watched with a poker face.

She explained to him that she had just gotten a call from some unknown woman threatening her to "not get in her way."

Peter paused for a moment, unsure, as he looked at the Goblin, and then he told May to stay in Albany with MJ and that he would take care of the situation, he loved her, and not to worry about him. Then he hung up and immediately pressed the Goblin for answers.

"What do _you_ think?" Osborn fired back.

Peter was caught off-guard by that one, but as he discovered, the answer was not too hard to come by. It had to be...

"Vanessa Fisk," he concluded.

Osborn affirmed the answer with a nod. "You see, what the Kingpin is really defending is something much more besides May...something huge, with the ability to defend itself."

Peter had to chuckle at that, but Norman stopped him with a stern look.

"I'm serious, Parker. Think about it. Fisk has sent you these threats...why?" he asked rhetorically. "Only to make you think that he's worried about his safety, when in reality that could be the farthest thing from the truth. You see Peter, it's a trap. He wants you to think that he's unguarded behind all this defense—this Enforcer junk." He gestured at the still-downed Ox for emphasis.

"It's a trap, Peter," he said, quietly.

"What?" Peter asked, confused.

Norman began to speak more, but thought of a day in his recent past where test tubes had been injected on a subject to accelerate growth, to alter the condition of the human body, to play with memory, intelligence, and many genes of the human body. Cloning was nothing compared to what was running through Osborn's mind at the moment. But for now, he chose not to reveal it and he merely said, "Just be careful."

After that comment, Peter shook his head, and put his mask back on. "Why should I trust you?" he asked, firing a webline and taking off, leaving Osborn to his own thoughts.

Osborn looked down, furious at himself, and shaking his head in turn. "Why, indeed?" he asked sadly, now speaking to himself. "I wish I could change that, Peter. I wish I could."

Jamaica, Queens

Wilson Fisk sat in a small, cramped room, impatient. This was not how it was supposed to go.

Where the hell was his help?

"Sir, our records show you as being criminally wanted for many crimes in the United States. In fact, sir, we're going to have to take you into—"

Before the young JFK customs officer could finish his sentence, and before the FBI and police teams assembled outside barged in to take him in, someone else barged in first, judging from the opening of the door and the single pair of feet that indicated only one person.

Someone cut the officer off. "That won't be necessary, Fred," he said quickly, taking Fisk by his hand and helping him to his feet. When Fisk heard the voice, he smiled, relieved.

The Kingpin had been blind for some time now, and could use all the help he could get when it came to moving.

"But—but, sir, this man is a wanted criminal—" sputtered Fred.

"Fred...how many times to I have to tell you?" the man asked, impatiently. "I'm the Homeland Security Director of this airport, and I answer to Washington. You have a problem with that, guess what? The only person you could possibly talk to is the President. And I'm sure he has better things to do than read mail from lowlifes like yourself. So good day!"

The Kingpin then felt himself being ushered into a different area, obviously having to walk past the horde of police and FBI. But he heard a general chatter which seemed to indicate that they felt that something was going wrong, and in that instant he knew that he was good.

"Thank you, Alex," he said, genuinely relieved that he had been able to get into the States without any further trouble. "You do me more service than you know..."

He felt a hand clasp his shoulder. "Mr. Fisk, I've known you for years, and after what you did for me and my family...the financial reimbursements...well...I didn't know that being loyal for such a long time, even for a mere money guy like me, could have such huge consequences. So consider it nothing at all."

"Vanessa and my daughter," Fisk asked. "Mr. Lane, are they—"

"Taken care of, sir. You'll be with them shortly," Lane replied. "Sir...welcome to New York City."

For the first time in a while, Wilson Fisk smiled.

It was good to be home.

Albany

"What do you think it could have been? Why would he go so quickly like that? Do you think he was being held hostage—"

Mary Jane-Watson Parker sighed, lying back on her bed. "Aunt May, look...you know Peter. He's probably taking care of it right now as we speak." She surveyed the small but expensive hotel suite that had been secured for her stay in Albany while she was shooting for her upcoming film.

May Parker shook her head and got off her own bed. She began to pace around, exasperated. "Look...Mary Jane, I'm sure there was something more behind that phone call...something that Peter wasn't telling us...I mean...even if he wasn't in danger...why wouldn't he have told me right away...could it really be something so..."

She trailed off. MJ looked at the older woman, wondering why she had just stopped.

"What is it, Aunt May?"

A light bulb went off in her head. "Mary Jane..." she said slowly. "Remember what you and I were discussing earlier today?"

The redhead thought back to the events of the day. It was really a jumble, amongst all those lines that she had been practicing, but she recalled in between sets, when she had started to cry, because of...

And then it came to her. She grabbed the phone, picking up on May's thinking, and immediately dialed Peter.

Somewhere in New York City

As Peter swung through the air, trying to grasp the bombshell that the Green Goblin had placed on his mental front doorstep, his phone rang once again. But he was swinging, and after the incident where the Ox had fallen from the air onto him, he chose not to pick up.

What did Osborn gain out of telling him all of this? What was the point? Of course, he had always been saying how he had been reformed, but what was the connection between him and the Kingpin? There had to have been one?

And May...

_Dear God,_ _my daughter is alive...and in the hands of one of my greatest adversaries_, he mused. _And I have absolutely no idea how to get to him_.

It was unbelievable.

As he thought about possible ways of obtaining this crucial piece of evidence, so that he could at least _know_ where his daughter might be, and in what condition, he heard a sudden explosion off in the distance.

_Damn_, he thought, as he found the source. It was near one of the docks, and the explosion looked huge. One of the boats might have blown up, or something, but whatever it was, it didn't look pretty, and it looked like it'd need his kind of help.

As he changed his direction to go towards the source of the blast, he felt his spider-sense go off, and then he felt himself falling.

He looked over his shoulder as he shot another, and confirmed it. His webline had broken.

As he tried recovering, that one failed too, and now he knew he was being harassed; purposely being delayed from getting to the port. He got to a nearby rooftop, and to his surprise, he found himself face to face with a chuckling Ox...yet again!

Spider-Man did not have time for wisecracks this evening, and he quickly moved towards the big guy.

But he found himself stuck in place. Someone appeared to be holding him. Someone _very_ strong.

As he looked behind himself, he was greeted by two fists...from different hands.

He quickly recovered and looked around.

Fancy Dan and Montana, the other two members of the Enforcers, had joined the Ox to torment Peter some more. As Peter tried firing a webline to get out of there, he came to the grim conclusion that he had run fresh out of webbing.

And he had no backup shooters. It had been such a long night that he had forgotten to refill.

To top that all off, he was exhausted from fighting without end. If he would have thought twice about taking out Norman...he could have probably avoided this scenario.

This was not going to be good, he mused, as he found himself surrounded.

Blocks away

At the port, people screamed inside a boat that had been scheduled to ship goods to the Atlantic. It was not looking good for them. The fire continued to envelop more and more of the rickety old thing that was only being used for shipping to the UK, and had never caused any problems. The port managers, in both countries, had seen no reason to replace the vessel.

Unfortunately, this reasoning was now being burned down, as the lives of many crewmen were at stake.

Just when it seemed as if there was no hope, suddenly, a figure appeared from the sky, firing webbing out towards the fire.

"It's Spider-Man!" yelled out someone from the middle of the deck, which was encircled by flames which made it impossible to escape into the water.

As someone standing next to him looked closer, however, he did not concur. "Nah...it's not Spider-Man."

"Huh?" asked all the crewmen, their mind temporarily taken off the blazing inferno.

He pointed at the figure. "That's a chick, yo!"

The costumed figure swooped down and began to take the men, all ten of them, safely away from the boat. One by one, she grabbed each man and swung off to shore, far from the source of the explosion. When all ten men had been taken to safety, webbing took care of the fire and actually was able to salvage some of the contents of the shipping.

Then the rescuer came back to shore and looked at the guy who had said that this was not Spider-Man.

"Well, you're right about that," she spoke. The men gaped at her, still surprised as to what had happened. "Boys, you're looking at Spider-Girl..heir to the webbed legacy!"

With that, she took off into the night, satisfied that her work was done.

"Whoa..." said the guy, truly awed.

**TO BE CONTINUED in Peter Parker: Spider Man #159 – _Move Over_**


	4. Move Over

_At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility._

**PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN**

#159

Starring:

**Peter Parker, **aka** SPIDER-MAN**

**Norman Osborn, **aka **THE GREEN GOBLIN**

**Mary Jane Watson-Parker**

**Aunt May Parker**

**Wilson Fisk, **aka **THE KINGPIN**

**Vanessa Fisk**

**NY Asst. Homeland Security Director Alex Lane**

**Fancy Dan, Montana, & Ox, **aka **THE ENFORCERS**

**Spider-Girl**

Previously:

During a pivotal battle with the Robot Master, Peter Parker was alerted that his wife, Mary Jane, was in child labor, and rushed off. As he arrived at the hospital, he was drugged at the first opportunity. Several rooms away, MJ delivered, only to have it be a "stillborn." Unbeknownst to her, the child was alive but was secretly snatched by "nurse" Alison Mongrain, an employee of Norman Osborn's, the man who had been in hiding for years. Peter soon awoke to come face-to-face with Norman and defeated him handily.

The fate of the child, meanwhile, has been unknown to anyone except Osborn himself, who met up with Mongrain again in a villa in Tuscany a few months later to relieve her of the infant. Two years later, the Parkers still have no word on the fate of their child. One night, Peter is distracted while web-swinging and attacked by the Ox in the air, who knocks him unconscious and is able to find out his identity. Peter confirms that no one else is permanently able to recall his identity, but then the Ox returns to attack Spider-Man again, in his home where luckily Mary Jane is not present, at a movie filming in Albany. A fatigued Spidey is handily defeated, and then Ox reveals that the Kingpin is his backer, who at the same time in Europe has his wife, Vanessa, send Aunt May (with MJ in Albany) a telephoned threat. As the Ox is leaving, Osborn appears in his Goblin garb, knocking him out.

Osborn then explains to Peter that his daughter is alive, and that she has been adopted, thanks to him, by the Kingpin, who has brought his family to the States and is illegally cleared through customs by Director Alex Lane. Although Osborn does not want to cause anyone any misery anymore, he urges Peter to trust him and not go right after Fisk. Peter takes off, not knowing what to believe, but as he is reflecting, the Enforcers come in their entirety and begin attacking Peter, pulling him away from where he is most needed at a nearby boat explosion. Luckily, another rescuer shows up and saves the day...claiming to be "Spider-Girl, heir to the webbed legacy."

**The Face On The Milk Carton--Part Four of Ten**

"_Move Over"_

Albany

"Oh my god! He said yes!!! He said yes!!! Roxy, I can't believe this is happening!!! How can I ever thank you??? You're my best friend in the whole world..."

The answering machine beeped, showing a teary-eyed child listening over and over again to the same message, afraid to reveal what had been communicated to no one yet but him. The media had not relayed the message yet, but would probably do so within minutes, and within a day release the name as well.

His mother was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Suddenly, a shimmering figure appeared, and for a second he couldn't believe it. He gaped, and stared at her, in a white ethereal sort of gown.

"_Mom...?"_ he asked, unbelieving.

_Hello, my son...there has been so much I've been wanting to tell you...for all this time...but just remember this much...no matter how far away we are from each other...I will always be there for you...remember that...anytime you wish it, you may just call for me and you know that in your heart, I will be there...I—_

The speech was cut short, suddenly, as shouting began to emanate from the back of the room.

Then it became clear what was going on, and "Roxy" sighed. She shook her head at the kid sadly, and shrugged. The cameras had obviously stopped rolling, so she knew it didn't matter right now. She grabbed a bottle of water, removed her gown which she wore over a tank top and jeans, (it was burning outside) and took the kid's hand, walking off the set.

_Man...that felt so cool, _she mused. _Playing a dead chick. Heh._

Mary Jane Watson-Parker looked around at what, until that point, had been a fairly calm directorial staff. Now, however, they all seemed on edge. She didn't understand why...until she looked to the source of the shouting.

There were two men in black suits and sunglasses, looking very official, in sharp contrast to her director, who was looking very angry and very casual. A chill came over her, as she recalled the events of the past few days.

Her husband's Aunt May, who was with her on this filming trip, had received a threatening call yesterday from an unknown woman who had told her to "stay out of her business," and had then hung up on her. It might be related to the fact that Peter Parker was Spider-Man, and that his identity might be at stake, but last night, sitting with Aunt May in the hotel room, MJ had begun to get a suspicion that this was about something more...

Perhaps, she hoped, it finally had something to do about her long-lost daughter May.

_But maybe that's hoping too much_, she thought, as she moved a bit closer to hear what was up, releasing the kid's hand.

"Whaddaya mean, that's it, wrap up???" yelled the big man. "This is supposed to be a huge Hollywood hit!!! Did my producer say anything about this??? I swear, if that son of a—"

The more built of the two men spoke. "Before you continue your tirade, sir, I will repeat what I said earlier. The filming of this movie has been deemed by the office of New York Homeland Security to be a safety issue. No more questions asked. We have the backing of the government, and you have the rest of the day until we make you leave."

He looked the director in the eye, and smiled creepily. "End of discussion." He and his buddy then turned around, proceeding to leave.

The director sagged, his energy drained. From what it looked like, he couldn't believe this. And MJ didn't blame him—this had been the movie he had constantly been telling them would make or break all of their careers. _Well,_ she thought, _I'm gonna do something about it_. She walked up to the guy who had spoken, and tapped him on the shoulder.

As he turned around, MJ got in his face. "Excuse me, Mister. Just who the hell do you think you are???"

The man did not respond, but then he did something that made MJ wish she would have never bothered—he leered at her, sizing her up in a way that made her feel dirty and wish she would have kept the gown on.

"Ms. Parker," the man began (he knew who she was???). "I should warn you, I was told to look out for you. Talk too much...and we could...ah...take you downtown for some fun." He grinned evilly.

MJ wanted to slap him. She wanted to say the crudest words she could think of. But at this point, she could do nothing except turn around and walk away.

Which is what she did, much to the amusement of the two men, who walked away, chuckling.

When the men were far enough, they made a call.

Jamaica, Queens

Alex Lane sighed.

This was indeed something unbelievable. The Kingpin was back, and he was actually getting to do...more interesting things.

But oh, at what a cost. He had promised his family that he would take them out to dinner tonight, and the return of his former employer had spoiled that.

Oh well, perhaps they would be appeased with some gifts. Things like that, they always seemed to work on those poor-turned-materialistic types. He wondered why he had bothered to continue to live with this, but the money (and the high-class whores it brought with it) usually took his mind off that.

As he wondered about his multi-dimensional life, the phone rang. He grabbed it immediately.

"Yes?"

"Boss...it's done. They're unpacking as I speak. Anything else?" asked a voice.

Lane smiled. Those high-class whores could turn into Hollywood whores if he kept this up. "Nothing more for now, return here. Nicely executed. You two are overdue for a promotion," he said mysteriously, and then he hung up.

He lay back in his seat, anticipating the delights of a future that promised so much more.

A Few Miles Away

Spider-Man surveyed the three goons leering at him.

_Yep, it'd be the typical Parker luck when you've got this kind of situation presenting itself...broken ribs...civilian situation which I'm prevented from assisting...no web-shooters...no backup...and three losers who're being backed by a particularly big loser staring me down in the face._

Although he had promised himself moments ago that he was not going to make wisecracks, he couldn't resist.

"Well boys," he said, nodding at them. "It was nice of you to drop by and all...but this is NOT what I had in mind when I was thinking about a threesome."

This enraged them all, but most of all it infuriated the Ox, who had spent the last two nights torturing Spider-Man on his own until he could make the revelation that the Kingpin was behind the attacks, which was quite a surprise to Spider-Man.

The trio had gotten started under the Big Man, one of the greatest enemies of the Kingpin back in the first year when Peter Parker was just a teenage Spider-Boy (The classic Amazing Spider-Man #10). However, after the Ox did some work for the Kingpin a year ago (Issue #94-95), and soon after the whole gang got into a confrontation with Jimmy 6 (Amazing Spider-Man #469), a man who never got along well with the Kingpin, it seemed to only be logical.

Unfortunately, there had been a lot of things on Peter's mind as of late...and a lot of revelations to deal with...that were testing his belief in logic.

The Ox sputtered and spattered, and then decided to simply raise a fist to run into Spidey's face, but was not prepared for what happened next.

Spidey grabbed the giant's arm and used it to climb up and balance himself on it. The general mental slowness of the guy helped him generously, as this allowed Peter to quickly lock his legs around Ox's giant neck, and then start punching the crap out of him.

"Left, left, left, right, left," sang Spider-Man, military-style, while punching Ox's face at the same time. He was cheerfully oblivious to the attempts of Fancy Dan and Montana to try and get him off their companion's back.

Finally, their pulling started to work, and then, instead of resisting, as they pulled a second time, Spider-Man dropped all his resistance.

The two men pulled so hard that they fell back onto the rooftop floor, and took Spider-Man _way_ back with them.

This gave Peter the opportunity he needed, as Ox was too far back to charge forward, and the wall-crawler used his spider-strength to hop off the rooftop and stick to the nearest building. As he stuck to the wall, he turned around, pulled up his mask slightly, stuck his tongue out, and put his fingers in his ears and began wiggling them at the Enforcers.

The downed men could not believe it. Spidey wasn't going to stick around to see what else they could not believe, though. He climbed up to the top of the roof and quickly ran and jumped from roof to roof, until he reached the site of a boat explosion that had taken place earlier. He could have been there sooner had the Enforcers not tried to delay him.

As he arrived at the scene, he looked at the smoke billowing, and didn't notice anything else out of the ordinary. The boat looked charred, but other than that, he saw ten men lying down on the dock, safely away from the boat. They looked like they had been through better times, but seemed OK for the most part.

Peter walked over and asked them what had happened.

One of them shook his head and waved dismissively at Spider-Man, smiling. "Don't worry about it, pal...you're too late."

Another guy looked up, reminiscing happily... "Man...she's something else, ain't she boys?"

A third guy was up on his feet, calling the news services, relating some kind of story about Spider-Girl...

Waitaminit—

SPIDER-GIRL????

Spider-Man watched the guy, unbelieving, and then he saw the authorities that had been safely converged away from the explosion move in towards the ten boaters. He took this as his cue to leave, but as he left, jumping from wall to wall, he could not believe what he was hearing, for the third time in less than twenty four hours.

_Spider-Girl? _he wondered again. _Oh man, either I'm losing it or Fisk _really_ wants to make a fool out of me._

Unless...this had something to do with May.

Could it?

He went off in search of this...girl. Or Osborn. Whichever held the answers to this mess.

Osborn Industries, Inc., HQ

Norman Osborn sat at his desk, the sole man in the building.

He knew this to be true because it was 5 in the morning, he wore his Green Goblin garb (sans the mask), and he had deactivated the security to let himself, and _only _himself in.

But he was having trouble believing the headline he was reading in the online edition of the Bugle, which had just been released two minutes ago.

"New hero in town?" What was that supposed to mean?

_The lab..._

With that thought, Osborn immediately rose, and pressed a button on his desk. It would set the alarm to reactivate on the building in one minute, and at the same time it parted the metal ceiling above him to reveal an opening into the night.

He hopped onto his glider, donned the mask of the terror that he was, known as the Green Goblin, and soared off.

_I have to be sure_.

He recalled the name of the spy he had pulled up while at his desk, and tapped a few buttons on his glider with his foot.

For some reason, this caused him to recall some sort of game he had seen at one of the malls where children had been stepping around like fools...and he had been with an executive at the time who had excitedly recommended it for promotion of their sales.

Osborn had looked him in the eye, proclaiming that he would never use such a thing like that. But after firing the man a year later, he picked up on the idea and used it to his own advantage. The technology from _Dance Dance Revolution_ worked rather nicely for someone with his special needs.

As the audio on the glider crackled to life, Osborn spoke through an earpiece that he had pulled out of his pocket—it had a wireless link to his glider.

"32, report."

"This is 32 reporting," came the crisp reply.

"32, your new target is Wilson Fisk. Find one of his operatives, bribe them, and give me the location of his residence for the duration of his stay in New York."

With that, he tossed the headpiece back in one of his many compartments and pressed his foot against a button which ended the transmission.

_This has to work_, he thought...

Hours later, nearby

As he heard an alarm bell go off in the distance, Peter put aside all thoughts of finding the Goblin or Spider-Girl, and turned his attention to this danger.

He looked around, and noticed a building was on fire about 3 miles away. He estimated it would take him no more than 2 minutes to get there.

_Wish people would take care of their stoves,_ he mused, as he began hopping from rooftop to rooftop, without his webshooters.

_Of course, if I wasn't as handicapped as I am tonight, this would be a piece of cake._

Spider-Man's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a flying figure smacked into him in mid-air, yet again, and sent him falling into the alleyway below.

Luckily, this time the buildings were very close together, so in-air Peter managed to stick onto the wall of one of them.

He then looked up, and could not believe it.

The Ox flew around in...something...that was strapped onto his back, and had wings protruding from either side that jutted out just past his arms. Fancy Dan seemed to be bouncing around on what looked like an "Ultimate Pogo Stick." And Montana had a pair of boxing gloves that robotically extended about...well, they extended pretty far.

Where the hell (and how the hell (and when the hell)) had these guys gotten this upgrade?

As if reading Peter's mind, the Ox looked down on Spider-Man, who was still frozen in shock and sheer disbelief, and laughed.

"How you like us now, puny Parker?"

Spider-Man shrugged off his disbelief and finally spoke up. "Look...I think it's great and all that you guys got a better fashion sense...but to be honest, Foxy Oxy," said Peter, jumping up without warning, "You look like Buzz Lightyear."

Having said that much, he suddenly produced a bunch of Spider-Nets that he had been meaning to use for an emergency, and found that this was the appropriate time. He quickly chucked eight of these "balls that exploded into nets" at Ox and his wings, and then moved on as the netting confused the big guy and caused him to go flying off in an opposite direction.

He then turned to Fancy Dan and Montana, who sneered at Peter.

"Shut up, you punk!" yelled Fancy Dan, unable to take it. The short guy bounced up and as he was coming back down, he tried to stomp on Spidey, but spectacularly failed as he crashed back to the roof. He got up quickly and brushed himself off, even more pissed.

"Hey!" yelled Montana, pointing at Peter. "Look, we got this stuff from Columbia University...not from your freakin' ESU...so ha!"

Spidey nodded, stroking his chin. "Gee, that helps, Inspector Gadget...I mean, Montana—whoa!!"

The "whoa!!" came as a reaction to a flying extendable glove that veered his way. Luckily, Peter moved away in time.

As he climbed to a higher building, he looked down at the distant Montana. "Hah! I bet your arms can't reach this far! And tell your friend, Super Mario—"

Suddenly, Spider-Man felt his spider-sense going off. He looked up to find Fancy Dan coming down on him, and as Peter tried to get away, he suddenly noticed that the flying Ox was carrying the short guy, who was increasing their velocity with the jumps. Then he looked closer, and found that they picked up Montana, who now prepared his arm for extension...

_Yikes_, thought Peter. _They're almost like the Transformers, except in my worst nightmare._

Scarsdale

The Goblin stood in the dark quietly, watching as the costumed figure dropped down to the windowsill of what appeared to be an abandoned building. The figure looked around a few times, and then opened up the window and entered.

The figure was Spider-Girl, and for the last few hours, the Goblin had been following her. After he had sent 32 the orders, he had stumbled upon Spider-Girl stopping a fire, and then out of curiosity had decided to follow her.

Everywhere she went, it seemed as though she was doing what Parker was not. And where was he, anyway? Why had he not done one thing to help in the past two days? It was not like him.

Something was up.

But as he had thought this, he had gotten his reply from 32, who had confirmed Kingpin's residence for him. An idea then came to his head, and he did not go to this location right away. He instead followed Spider-Girl, who had come here after that.

And sure enough, this was the location that he had been given by 32.

As he prepared to go to the windowsill to confirm what he knew to be true, he suddenly heard the sound of an approaching car...an entire motorcade, it seemed, as he scurried back into the alleyway and hid in a dark, dark corner, where he could still see but was relatively undetected.

He peeked through his little hole and saw the lead car, a Rolls-Royce, pull up to the door of the alleyway. Tons of guards emerged and it was not possible to see anything at this point. As the guards filed in, and four stayed behind at every corner of the building, Osborn decided to try another approach.

He snuck around till he was relatively far away from the abandoned building, and then glided up to the top of another nearby abandoned building. He made sure to keep the engine noise quiet, and then he pulled out a set of binoculars. He adjusted them, surveying the window of the abandoned building.

These binoculars were able to penetrate brick, and unfortunately for Fisk, he had chosen a brick building to perform his operation in.

The device showed him something that greatly contrasted with the outer appearance of the structure—a building which looked like a palace inside. It became to clear to the Goblin that this was an abandoned factory that had been converted by the Kingpin into a palace. During the day, Osborn figured that the disguise was in place, even on the inside. But at night, he knew that this was where it all went down.

Osborn took a deep breath...and then looked towards the windowsill where Spider-Girl had entered a minute ago.

Immediately, Osborn activated the microscopic bug he had placed outside the window, which used waves which could penetrate the walls, and listened through his earpiece.

"...so glad you got that scholarship, Mayday! How exciting!" exclaimed a woman, who he assumed to be Vanessa.

Osborn took a deep breath, took the earpiece out, and put the binoculars to his eyes, aiming them at the window.

There stood Wilson and Vanessa Fisk...hugging a red-haired, young girl, who appeared to be in her late teens...

And she greatly resembled Peter Parker and his wife, Mary Jane...

**TO BE CONTINUED in Peter Parker: Spider Man #160 – _Formulaic Flashback_**


	5. Formulaic

Note to readers: After nearly 9 months of having left this story alone, Kevin-Smith style…I've decided to come back to it. I might as well reveal to you the reason as to why I stopped writing. As I was about to launch into the truth regarding Mayday and Spider-Girl, the fourth issue of Sins Past, the highly controversial arc from Amazing Spider-Man came out.

J. Michael Straczynski, the writer of this comic book, had somehow, by sheer coincidence, written a story nearly exactly like mine, like I had been planning to write, except it involved Gwen Stacy as well. I was dumbfounded, and at that point I gave up on this story and watched what would happen with the Sins Past arc. Needless to say, his version of events was received terribly, initially by many, and then later by myself as well when I saw how terribly the arc wrapped up. I wonder if he had gone with what I had proposed, would he have gotten a better response, and brought greater sales to the Amazing Spider-Man book? Who knows?

However, I've convinced myself that only a mere change is necessary, and I can continue with this. So without further ado, I present to you the long-delayed, long-awaited, issue #160 of Peter Parker: Spider-Man (complete with a few jabs at my more famous copycat :P ).

Enjoy.

_At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility._

**PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN**

#160

Starring:

**Peter Parker, **aka** SPIDER-MAN**

**Norman Osborn, **aka **THE GREEN GOBLIN**

**Mary Jane Watson-Parker**

**Aunt May Parker**

**Wilson Fisk, **aka **THE KINGPIN**

**Vanessa Fisk**

**Mayday Fisk**

**Fancy Dan, Montana, & Ox, **aka **THE ENFORCERS**

**Spider-Girl**

**J. Jonah Jameson (JJJ)**

**Joe "Robbie" Robertson**

**Ben Urich**

**Foggy Nelson**

Previously:

During a pivotal battle, Peter Parker was alerted that his wife was in child labor, and rushed off. As he arrived at the hospital, he was drugged. Several rooms away, MJ delivered, only to have it be a "stillborn." Unbeknownst to her, the child was alive but was secretly snatched by "nurse" Alison Mongrain, an employee of Norman Osborn's. Peter soon awoke to come face-to-face with Norman and defeated him handily.

Osborn later met up with Mongrain again in a villa in Tuscany a few months later to relieve her of the infant. Two years pass. One night, Peter is distracted while web-swinging and attacked by the Ox in the air, who knocks him unconscious and discovers his identity. Later, after Spider-Man assures himself that no damage is done to his secret, he is attacked by the Ox again. Spidey is handily defeated, and then Ox reveals that the Kingpin is his backer. As the Ox is leaving, Osborn appears in his Goblin garb, knocking him out.

Osborn then explains to Peter that his daughter is alive, and that she has been adopted by the Kingpin, who has brought his family to the States and is illegally cleared through customs by Director Alex Lane. Osborn urges Peter to trust him and not go right after Fisk, but Peter takes off, not knowing what to believe. The Enforcers then come in their entirety and attack Peter, keeping him from helping at a nearby boat explosion. Luckily, another rescuer shows up and saves the day...claiming to be "Spider-Girl, heir to the webbed legacy."

MJ is at a movie filming which has shut down thanks to the pull of Director Lane who wants Spider-Man's wife and Aunt back to harm's way in NY. As for Spidey, he escapes from the Enforcers and heads to the explosion scene, only to be dismissed by the victims of the crash. Meanwhile, the Goblin follows around Spider-Girl while Spider-Man battles the Enforcers yet again. At the end of the last issue, Osborn comes to the conclusion that Wilson Fisk's daughter, May (who is really Peter's daughter) is Spider-Girl.

**The Face On The Milk Carton--Part Five of Ten**

"_Formulaic"_

An abandoned factory in NY

Norman Osborn stared through his binoculars again, just to be sure.

Then he put them down again, shook his head, and sighed. The formula had worked, indeed. He had been so convinced of its failure on the child that even he had given up after he had shown up at Fisk's door.

But it was true. The girl that he had kidnapped from the Parkers was now the same girl he was looking at through his binoculars who Wilson and Vanessa Fisk claimed as their daughter.

How did she age so fast? How did she even end up in their hands?

Osborn sagged against the rooftop on which he was standing on and thought about how he had gotten into this mess.

_Some years ago_

Pisa, Italy

Osborn looked at the leaning tower and grinned evilly. How he wished that such a tower could be erected in New York…better yet, that he was able to have a tower that already existed magically arrange itself to look like this? Not really to kill anyone…but just to scare the wits out of people.

As he perused over such dark ambitions, a stifling sob interrupted him, and he glanced down at the bundle in his arms, angrily.

The child of Peter and Mary Jane Parker was in his arms, and he had just left Alison Mongrain's shortly, bringing this child from there. He had told Mongrain at the time that he had found adoptive parents for this infant. The truth was…he didn't know where and what he was going to do with this child.

And that's when it hit him. He knew what he could do with her. He looked down at the bawling brat. So cute and sweet, and untouched.

Yes, it would serve Parker right…the ultimate revenge for the attempt to murder him.

He chuckled at the baby. "Don't worry, my little dear," he said, pinching her cheek, which caused her crying to increase tenfold. "Uncle Norman's going to do something _very_ nice for you…yes he is!" He smiled, and headed for the gondolas, which would take him to the location he was planning on going to.

Hours later, inside an undisclosed location

He injected the formula into the child, whose bawling increased tenfold. This was the same formula he had used on himself in the past, and as a human adult, it had caused him to go insane. He quietly wondered what sort of effect it would have on the child, but he knew he wouldn't be around to see it.

As he stared at the infant inside the incubation chamber, he waited for something to happen. Seconds passed by. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into an hour. Strange. Nothing happened at all.

He shrugged, and prepared the child for its journey to the Kingpin. Soon enough, Wilson Fisk would see the effects of his child, and then he would have to adjust…and hopefully, after the adjustment…Parker would have a new enemy in his own offspring.

_Now_

Queens, New York

The scene had caught the attention of all of New York, and was now being broadcast on all TV screens. Truly, it should have been Spider-Man's greatest embarrassment. These were foes that he had dispatched of easily in the past.

But such was not the case now. All 3 of the Enforcers had used their connections with the Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk, to get a massive upgrade to their wardrobe. They had claimed that the technology had come from Columbia University (last issue).

As he narrowly dodged a punch from the lanky Fancy Dan's super-extending glove, he realized there was a problem with this claim. Peter Parker, the man under the superhero's mask, had just been by the university as early as three days ago to visit an old friend from college that now taught there. He had seen nothing that resembled the ultra-high tech gadgets that the Enforcers were now pursuing him with during his visit, and his friend, who worked in the engineering department, did not mention anything regarding this anyway.

Which meant that the Enforcers were lying to him, or they didn't know where this technology was from, or someone had set them up.

As Peter swung towards the Empire State Building, he flushed such thoughts out of his head and focused on the task at hand: trying to get rid of these guys once and for all. He did not crack any jokes, because it had been hours since he had slept, and he was exhausted and tired of this useless diversion, which he knew deep down inside had been created to keep him off his game.

But the plan he had now…this was perfect. He had been to this building millions of times. He knew the plan of the ESB by heart. And the thing was, he knew there was only one floor in the entire building that covered the span of two normal floors. He just hoped what he was about to do followed through with this memory. He swung closer and closer, until he reached the closest he could get.

And then, he broke through the building, the Enforcers just behind. And then, at the last minute, as they soared in right behind him, he shot his webspinners above and behind him, snagging the windowsill above him, did a total 180 vertically, and crashed back out through the window directly above him.

The Enforcers, unfortunately, were not so lucky. They had no idea about the floor plan of the famous building, and in their surprise at realizing that the floor was bigger than the rest, they crashed into a crowd of tourists that was gathered for the first, early-morning tour of the structure. Many were injured. This was unfortunate, but Peter was less concerned as long as no one was killed. And then, he as he looked back while swinging, he saw police and security guards descend upon the downed Enforcers.

_The REAL enforcers, _Peter mused, grinning under his mask as he turned back around and contemplated his next course of action.

He had to find out where this technology had come from. He had a pretty good idea, too.

But right now, he had other pressing concerns.

Like sleep.

Spider-Man swung towards his apartment, convinced that even the Kingpin and his goons didn't work 24 hours a day…like some—

_Danger!_ His spider-sense went off without warning, and he looked forward…the source came from somewhere that he had been planning on arriving at a few moments from now.

_Okay, note to self…use rich sexy supermodel wife's loot and install private security system with Spidey-techy-ized upgrades…_

He was about to veer away and head towards a Marriott, when he suddenly saw two figures step out of a taxi cab below the very building that he had been about to avoid, from miles away.

Manhattan, NY

Mary Jane Watson-Parker reflected on the events of the past week, as she and Peter's Aunt May Parker sat in the taxi cab in silence.

The debacle that had taken place at Mary Jane's movie shooting up in Albany had sent alarm bells ringing in the minds of both women, and they could only assume it had to do with the man they both loved the most—Peter. But a new twist that had taken place this past week—the revelation from an unknown woman that perhaps the daughter that Peter and MJ had assumed dead was alive and well…and in someone else's hands.

Although MJ had continued to film her movie, in retrospect she figured coming back to NY was probably a better move. But it wasn't her choice anyway...US Homeland Security had shut down the filming! As MJ tried to remember if that had ever happened, May interrupted her thoughts.

"Mary Jane, we've arrived home, dear," she announced, pulling out fare and trying to count it before Mary Jane snatched her hand and presented the cabbie with a 20, even though the fare was 17.50, and left.

"Thank you," she offered, "keep the change." May gave her a glowering look, and MJ shook her head. "Not now, Aunt May. I had a funny feeling about him…and I think the longer we spent in that cab, the worse."

May's anger at MJ's paying for the cab instead of letting her eased, and curiosity replaced her previous expression. "Whatever do you mean?"

MJ shrugged. "Well, not to sound paranoid or anything, but did you notice how he tried to start conversation with us about sixteen times since leaving the airport, even when we made it clear we had no interest in talking?"

May laughed as they entered the apartment building, got on the elevator, and headed upstairs. "Well, who wouldn't, Mary Jane? I mean, you _are _a stunningly attractive supermodel anyway."

MJ smirked, and then raised her hands defensively. "Please, May. If you were paying attention, you would have noticed he tried to start conversations with _both _of us. And what's even weirder is that he stopped the moment we entered Manhattan. Almost as if he had a certain range upon which he could operate…I dunno. This all seems kind of weird to me."

As they reached their floor, Mary Jane walked to the apartment and fiddled around for her keys. "Now where did I put those things…I swear, this is the worst part about being gone for weeks…you forget your keys—"

Without warning, the glass window which they had been standing next to shattered as a costumed figure broke through. One second's notice made it clear that it was Peter, and then within the next second, a woman in each arm, he fired off a web-shooter and blasted away…

MJ and Aunt May screamed as Spider-Man whisked them away…and then, they felt him go tense after a few seconds. He eased his grip on them as they touched down on a nearby rooftop. He gently let go of his aunt and wife, and then looked back at the apartment from which they had just exited from, in anticipation. as Aunt May and MJ screamed at him to stop, he shot a webline up towards the top of the building and swung himself all the way to the top of the structure. He reached the top and immediately barged into the door that led to the boiler room as MJ and Aunt May waited anxiously.

Nothing happened, after one minute…two minute…three minute…and so on. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Spider-Man re-emerged from the same place he had come out from, and held what seemed like a video game console in his hands…but it looked like nothing either woman had ever seen.

Aunt May scratched her head, breathing hard, and then turned back to her nephew. "Peter…would you mind explaining what that was all about? And what this thing is?"

MJ folded her hands across her chest, annoyed. "Yeah, Tiger. What's up?"

Spider-Man sighed. "Okay, this is just weird," he muttered. Then he answered their questions. "Well…pardon me for caring about the two people I love the most in the world, but as I was heading home, nearing the apartment, suddenly my Spider-Sense went off, blaring alarms at me…kind of like the alarms I think we should have installed at our place, _Mary Jane._"

Peter put emphasis on the last two words, which caused MJ's annoyed look to get pissed. "Perhaps I should reveal to your Aunt our financial problems…oh, _whoops, Peter,_" MJ retorted, shooting Aunt May a look. May's interest seemed a little piqued, but it went away when she realized that the tense situation had broken down into a fight between husband and wife.

She turned away, still in shock. "Seriously, you two. We could have been killed."

Peter held up his hand to MJ, who was about to say something else, and insinuated that he wanted MJ to wait for a few minutes. Then he walked over to Aunt May and put his hand on her shoulder, and emphasized the device he held in his other hand. "But we didn't, Aunt May. That's the thing. Whoever did this is messing with our minds. I'm telling you, there was nothing there Aunt May, except this. Literally, once I laid eyes on it, my spider-sense just went off. The thing went dead, I guess. I think this has got to be a device designed to trigger my Spider-sense."

Then he escorted Aunt May back towards MJ, and looked at both of them intently. "Speaking of messing with our minds…I've learned something about—"

"Baby May?" MJ cut Peter off. Peter was dumbfounded, wondering how she knew, but she continued before he could respond. "We've got a lot to tell you about too…but first things first. I assume you've got to find out where this came from."

Spider-Man nodded, wondering how exactly he was going to do that, but his mind was already racing.

MJ nodded in response, and then Spider-Man took off, leaving both women to take the stairs down from the rooftop so as to not attract any more attention than Spider-Man talking to two women on a rooftop already would have.

He then remembered something; Felicia had called him about a month ago from L.A., and he had let the phone ring, not interested. Coincidentally, it had been the same night MJ and him had gotten back together, and were about to celebrate. He had checked the message a few days later, and it turned out to be a frenetic joyful talking spree about the Tinkerer giving her some amazing deals, and revealing to her some technology that she never thought could have possibly existed. She then mentioned that she'd probably be betraying confidence, but since Peter was the one person she could trust more than anyone else in this world, she'd give him the Tinkerer's current location in case he was ever interested. As she said this, her voice had caught, and she had broken down, before ending the message with an "I'm sorry" and hanging up. At the time, Peter had suspected she was drunk, but deep down inside he wondered if this was a part of a bigger thing she had in regards to not getting over him.

_No, not getting over SPIDER-MAN_, he corrected himself. Disgusted, he flushed out any thoughts of Felicia from his head and thought of what exactly he could get from the Tinkerer.

Who the customer may have been, for starters? Or basically, whether it was Kingpin who really wanted him out of the way…or if it was actually Osborn? Spider-Man switched directions in mid-air and headed towards the location of the Tinkerer's base as best as he could remember.

The abandoned factory

As Osborn double checked his tapes and photographs to make sure that he had proper documentation of this shocking event, he suddenly heard someone shout in his direction.

_Whoops, time to go!_

As he hopped on his glider, he was tackled by twelve black-suited security guards, on the rooftop upon which he had been standing. He tried to shake them off, but to his chagrin, he realized that he had not taken the formula again since leaving the office and attacking Ox…and the effects of latest creation were designed to give him greater power, but only for short intervals.

But although he struggled here, he knew that these guards were nothing special, and after digging deep down inside, he found his inner strength, and began to claw the guards off one-by-one, and then after he had dispatched of all of them, he hopped back on the glider and used his foot pad controls to take him to the Kingpin.

Enough was enough. If he had been spotted, he had to prove to the Kingpin that no one could boss him around. As the glider began accelerating towards the facility, and Osborn prepared his pumpkins to toss at the guards that seemed unprepared for the Goblin's descent to where they were standing, nearly helpless, Osborn was totally taken off-guard as he was blindsided, kicked off his glider from the right…

And then to his surprise, as he looked up, he found Spider-Girl standing on his glider, arms crossed, staring down at him. He jumped to his feet and tried to lunge at her, but she took the glider higher than he could reach, and then she pressed some buttons on the glider and took it right down at Osborn.

The blow hit him so hard, the last thing he remembered was the smirk on the faces of the previously-fearful security guards before his body flew thirty feet in the air, the vertigo rendering him blissfully unconscious.

The _Daily Bugle_

The scene on the top floor of the offices of the _Daily Bugle_ was nothing short of amazing.

For what had seemed like the past hour, the editor of the newspaper, J. Jonah Jameson had been running around the entire floor, going to each and every employee and clapping them on their backs, handing all of them bonus checks for $50 each. The response had been the same: shocked looks, immediately followed by a big smile and the look that said _"Hmm…am I dreaming, or did JJJ just do what I never thought would ever be possible?"_

As JJJ continued his "reformed Scrooge act," someone who knew otherwise, better known as editor-in-chief Robbie Robertson, followed him around, trying to figure out what was going on, today's edition of the _Bugle_ in tow.

"Jonah," pleaded Robbie, pulling him aside as JJJ prepared to give another employee another bonus check. Jameson's response to Robbie was rather frightening.

He looked at his EIC and smiled. "Sure, Robbie, what is it?"

Jonah peered at Jameson, half-smiling. "Uh, where is my boss and what have you done with him?" he asked sheepishly.

Jameson threw his hands up in the sky. "Robbie, can you believe this? We've never sold more papers in one day, and thanks to this—" he pointed to the front page, a splash hyping up the rivalry between Spider-Girl and Spider-Man—"we've got our biggest story ever. Now all we gotta do is work on getting pictures of this battle!"

Robbie looked at JJJ doubtfully. "You sure this is gonna really happen, Jonah? I mean…I doubt the two have even met yet."

Jonah smirked. "Yeah, well don't worry, I'll make sure they meet." He then yelled out, to no one in particular, "I want an ad in that paper tomorrow, 2nd page headline, asking for a female version of Parker. Someone who can follow around this Spider-Girl, just like Parker followed around Spider-Man, and can take shots of her."

Then he turned back to Robbie, put an arm around the other man's shoulders, nattering on about visions of conquests and grandeur in the newspaper industry.

A few desks away, someone was not fazed by all this. In fact, they were somewhat disgusted. But he knew that this had to be important, and that it was time to call his buddy old pal. The phone rang for a few seconds before the other line picked up.

"Hi, Foggy? Ben Urich speaking," said the journalist, without waiting for a hello.

"What is it, Ben?" asked Nelson, knowing something was wrong if Ben was calling straight from the Bugle. Normally, the two did not discuss business when at work—Ben also did not ever bother Foggy in his law office, ever. Unfortunately, now was not a time for that.

"Spider-Girl."

For a moment, Ben heard nothing on the other line, before Foggy spoke quietly.

Ben asked Foggy to clarify, before the other man responded by saying, "I said, have you actually seen that one video clip of hers?"

"No, what are you talking about?"

Foggy sighed, and then continued. "Well, basically…she's saved those guys from the burning boat...and then she is getting filmed by the cameras on the scene…and as she says her little spiel about being the 'heir to the webbed legacy' or whatnot, you can see her actual skin for about 1 second…on her wrist, where she shot the spider-webs from. Now, I might be cracking up, but I saw something I've only seen one other place in my life…it's a brand in the form of a—"

"K?" finished Urich. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Nelson responded. "Which means that if this is getting bigger, in the sense that the Bugle is promoting it like hell, and the underworld is getting restless, as your latest articles report…"

"Then you know why I called, who I want you to talk to about this. Despite Spider-Man's connections and all…well, he's not the king of Hell's Kitchen, is he?"

Ben could just picture Foggy's broadening smile, and the other man agreed, and then promised to update the reporter on any news that would come out of his meeting with the Boss of all Bosses.

Currently known as Matt Murdock, aka the Daredevil.

Somewhere on the outskirts of New York City

Spider-Man looked around, and then he knocked at the door outside the seemingly abandoned farm.

He waited some moments, and after no one opened, he tried opening the door.

It was unlocked.

As he propped it open, he stepped inside and surveyed the location.

It was _totally empty_. Not a single sign remained indicating that life had been there.

This meant one of two things—either Felicia had lied to him, which he highly doubted, or that Phineas Mason had abruptly decided that it was time for a change of scenery.

Spider-Man then shook his head, muttering the words "Phineas Mason."

Without warning, a hologram-type figure appeared. It was a replication of the Tinkerer, who stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a lab coat and looking rather disheveled.

"Greetings, wayfarer," it began. "You are seeing this message because I no longer reside here and you have activated the code for this hologram to appear…my name. Whether I have been kidnapped or whether I have gone in hiding is none of your concern, the only reason I appear is to notify you that I no longer reside in this barn, and you can waste less time waiting for an official authorization from someone to prove that this is so. Here I am, and I repeat, I no longer live here, for whatever reason. That is up to you to find out."

The hologram ended, and Peter was left more confused now than before he had watched that Academy-award winning performance. At this point, he simply didn't know who to ask about this technology now and wondered if he would ever figure out who wanted him dead more.

Location: Unknown

Osborn's eyes adjusted to the light as he met full consciousness for the first time in days.

It seemed as though he had been drifting in and out, and only now did he fully come to his senses. He looked around and found that he was bound to chains which emerged from the concrete wall. He was in some sort of a prison, and as he looked around, he suddenly saw a shadow emerge from the dark abyss he seemed to be in.

A light was glared in his face, and he tried to look down, but the figure moved quickly and grabbed his neck, threatening to snap it if he moved again.

As his eyes finally adjusted, he looked at his captor for the first time, and was not surprised to see that it was Wilson Fisk.

"So…doing a little spying, are we, my friend," observed the Kingpin, who for some reason did not make eye contact with Osborn. He then grinned evilly. "Well, if you just wanted to stop by, you could have simply knocked. I may be blind now…but I still do take visitors, if you are ever interested in dropping by for a cup of tea or something."

Osborn tried to spit in Fisk's face, to no avail, as that infuriated the big man, who punched Norman in the stomach to totally knock the wind out of him.

"Try that again and the next blow is to your gonads," declared the Kingpin. His demeanor had become serious, but now it began to cool down again, and then he did something very unexpected: he snapped his fingers and Osborn's chains freed him.

He then turned away and gestured to Osborn. "Come with me, I must show you something." Osborn though about just taking off through the seemingly unprotected window stories above him, but not blocked by any concrete or ceilings…unfortunately, Kingpin seemed to pick up on this relative lack of activity by Osborn, and without turning back to him, simply mentioned that the place had permanent surveillance and that he wouldn't go far if he even considered escaping.

Apparently, they had entered the Kingpin's great underground lair.

Sighing, Osborn followed Fisk and after what seemed like an eternity, they stopped in front of a window that showed a clear-glass view of certain projects the Kingpin had in project. Osborn privately noted that Fisk had never boasted technology this vast before, ever, before Kinpin pointed to something that caused Osborn to freeze.

"You see there? In the corner?" he gestured, and then smiled after looking at his friend. "Yes, I can tell by your shocked expression that you've seen them before…well…remember my old friend Alistair Smythe? It seems that he, ah, conveniently left behind some notes, and so I have perfected yet another brand of…well, you see what they are, so I'll let you marvel at them. Created through my own technology this time, of course."

Osborn had pretty much ignored everything and everyone upon seeing what this "it" was that the Kingpin referred to. All he could think was, it was a terrible time to be Spider-Man. Or even Peter Parker for that matter.

Lots of evil was in store for the poor boy, and for one of the first times, it wouldn't even be Norman's fault.

In a way, it made him insanely jealous, before the stress of the cuffs brought him back to his senses. He was _going_ to find a way out of here; it was just a matter of who, when, and how.

Forest Hills, NY

As MJ and Aunt May put away their things, about an hour or so after coming home, both women heard a noise from their front porch, and then a doorbell ring. MJ dashed to the front, unwilling to let the old woman exert any energy while she was around. As she opened the door…

She came face to face with Spider-Girl, who asked if she could come in.

MJ was speechless, and then Aunt May saw the reunion and got a little happy, before the girl gestured Aunt May and MJ to sit down, and after asking whether she was welcome here, she nodded, and offered her thanks for the tea (what tea? wondered MJ).

Then, without warning, she removed her mask to reveal an auburn hair colored thin-looking girl who seemed as though she had too much makeup on…and then she looked at MJ and Aunt May.

"I understand you two are looking for your daughter?" she asked. Then she replied to her own question. "Well…consider me your most likely candidate." She grinned, kissing each woman. Then she put the mask back on, and took off into the night, leaving two Parker females shocked and unsure of who (or what) to believe.

**TO BE CONTINUED in Peter Parker: Spider Man #161 – **_**Brave New World**_


	6. Brave New World

_At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility._

**PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN**

#161

True believer, it's been four years since we've ventured into this story. You thought we had left it for dead. That we were gone. That you'd never get a resolution to the tale of what happened to Peter and MJ's daughter. Well, defying the odds, we're back! And we're picking up right where we left off!

Please note, we're halfway through the arc, so we figured you don't need a synopsis/summary anymore! In its stead, we've added a brief description for each character in the dramatis personae below.

Starring:

**Peter Parker, **aka** SPIDER-MAN  
*** Last seen: Tinkerer's Farm. Current status: Heading home

**Norman Osborn, **aka **THE GREEN GOBLIN  
*** Last seen: Kingpin's lab. Current status: Prisoner

**Mary Jane Watson-Parker & Aunt May Parker  
*** Last seen: May Parker's Forest Hill residence. Current status: Stunned, having just met Mary Jane's "daughter" who claims to be Spider-Girl

**Wilson Fisk, **aka **THE KINGPIN  
*** Last seen: His lab. Current status: Gleeful at having revealed a dark secret to his newest prisoner, Norman Osborn

**Vanessa Fisk**  
* Last seen: Apartment above Kingpin's lab. Current status: Unknown

**Mayday Fisk** & **Spider-Girl  
*** Last seen: May Parker's Forest Hill residence. Current status: Claiming to be one and the same. Is this true?

**Foggy Nelson**  
* Last seen: In his law office. Current status: En route to Hell's Kitchen to report to his partner, Matt Murdock.

**Matt Murdock, aka DAREDEVIL**  
* Last seen: Daredevil #60 Vol. 2. Current status: Cleaning up the mob scene of New York using his newfound authority.

**The Face On The Milk Carton--Part Six of Ten**

"_Brave New World"_

Hell's Kitchen, NY

"Naked man goes on a spree of robberies, targeting male employees at all the storefronts he held up. Accosted by Spider-Man. Currently without a defense attorney. Seeking someone who understands the concept of 'Justice for Nudies.' Will pay handsomely for top quality, and feels Murdock would have a better understanding than anyone else of how to defend superhero-related cases." _(See how it all went down in #156! – ed)_

Foggy Nelson made a paper airplane out of the file he had been reading out loud and tossed it at his partner, grinning. "Sound like someone we want to represent?" The paper airplane hit his partner, but there was no response.

Nelson frowned and then noticed the other man's finger tracing the ring that lay on his desk. He immediately regretted the attempt at humor, although he figured some day his friend would have to move on.

"I'm sorry, Matt."

Matt Murdock smiled bleakly and waved off Nelson's attempt at sympathy. Nelson was referring to the fact that just recently, his wife, Milla Donovan, had left him after discovering he had never really stopped loving that old haunt, their former colleague, and his greatest failure—Karen Page.

While the ring was from his wedding to Milla, Nelson knew that Murdock's mind was on Karen and how much of an impact her ghost was going to have on his future love life—hell, his life in general. Even when she was alive, her mere presence in his life had strained his once-positive relationship with Natasha Romanov, better known as the Black Widow. Now, he had just lost his wife, who he had actually been in love with, to the memory of this ghost. Foggy felt horrible for the man, being able to relate somewhat himself as he too had not exactly been a smashing hit in the romantic department.

_Although, your situations haven't been anywhere near as tragic as this guy's,_ he reminded himself.

Finally, Matt looked up. He was blind, and could not see, but the accident that had taken away his eyesight had enhanced his other senses. "No big deal, Foggy," he managed. He then folded his arms on the table and began to drum his fingers together. "So what do you want to tell me?"

Foggy chuckled momentarily, and then shook his head. The average person would have been unable to deduce that he was keeping something to himself, but Matt knew him too well. "You're not going to like this…but word on the street is that the…ah…Goliath to your David is back in town. Believe it or not, he's trying to establish himself in the area again, and this time it looks like he's making sure no one else is going to bother to help you out."

"Interesting," responded Murdock. "And just how is he doing this?"

Nelson raised his eyebrows. "Well, apparently there's something about a Spider-Girl in the picture. If you haven't noticed in the papers, they're trying to hype up some sort of a rivalry between her and Spider-Man. I don't know if there is some sort of a legitimate connection, or what…but apparently he's been MIA at all the hot spots since she hit the scene."

This time Murdock raised his eyebrows. "Odd," he remarked, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head. "Well, God couldn't have picked a better time to throw all this at me. Couple all of that with the stupid public debate over my superhero identity, and you've got a winner."

Foggy was then struck by something else. "Matt," he said. "This also means Vanessa is probably back as well."

"You think?" he responded.

"Has to be. Didn't you say that she took him away to Switzerland to recuperate? They reconciled? Well, word on the street is that she isn't feeling too hot herself. I mean, think about it." Foggy sat down on the chair across from Matt and began swirling figures in the air. "Your kid is going psycho. You're sick and tired of your husband's criminal life. You kill the kid, destroy your husband's empire. Then someone blinds your husband. You have to take care of him now." He looked back at Murdock. "How long do you think any normal human being can hold it all together before they snap?"

Matt nodded thoughtfully, wondering the same thing, but about himself.

How long would _he_ be able to hold it all together before he snapped? He recalled how he had gone ballistic on Bullseye when he had attempted to murder Milla (Daredevil #49, vol. 2), bragging about how he was going to repeat what he had done to Elektra and Karen. Matt had entertained himself by carving in an actual bull's-eye over the tattoo that he had on his head. Then in his subsequent fight with Fisk, he had nearly killed his nemesis (Daredevil #50, vol. 2). Would he have to face him again and find out just how much he could push himself to the edge? He hoped not, but somehow, he had a feeling it was going to get to that point.

Nevertheless, it was time to investigate. He left Foggy's question unanswered and stood. "I'm going to look into this. Hold it down for the next few days. I'll be out." He then left their office without another word. It was time for Daredevil to resolve this problem.

Forest Hills, NY

"_What?!?!?"_

Peter Parker was stunned, digesting what his wife had just told him.

Apparently, Spider-Girl had just come by Aunt May's house and had claimed that she was Peter and Mary Jane's long lost daughter. She had even removed her mask to prove it, and had then left. Aunt May was going on about what a nice girl she seemed to be, and MJ was trying to illustrate to Peter the stunning resemblance the girl had to her and Peter.

_Talk about a great 'Honey, I'm home!' moment_, Peter thought drolly.

Peter shook his head. "I don't know, MJ. This could just be a trick by the Kingpin and the Green Goblin, working in tandem." He took off his mask as he had just arrived at his old boyhood home moments ago to learn of this news. He threw it on the living room couch and plunked down, draping an arm over MJ as she joined him. As Peter fell into deep thought, Aunt May emerged from the kitchen with cookies and milk for the couple and sat down in the rocking chair across from them and began knitting.

"Peter, if you want my opinion," she said, concentrating on her handiwork. "I think you should go talk to her. We can sit here and claim that it was your daughter, but really the best way to confirm it is through a DNA test in my opinion. And that won't be easy unless you sit her down and ask her clearly, who she is and how she is so old already, while you are still rather young."

Peter rubbed his chin. "Wait a minute…" he trailed off. Then a lightbulb went off in his head. "Aunt May…you don't think she's aged unnaturally?"

The elder woman put down her work and looked back at Peter, shrugging. "Don't you remember years ago, Peter, when you came back from that field trip to Oscorp and you were talking about how Mr. Osborn was working on a rapid-aging formula for use on test tube animals?" She then grinned. "And then, when you got upset with your uncle Ben, you yelled that you wished you could take the formula so you could grow up and be an adult right away?"

Peter smiled at his old naiveté. He wished for just the opposite nowadays, a formula that could turn back the clock and make him younger. These last few years had not been easy. "Yes…I remember. So you think Osborn has injected her with this and gave her to the Kingpin afterwards?"

May smiled mysteriously. "You'll never know until you ask," she said, and did not add anything further.

Peter turned to Mary Jane. "MJ?" he asked. "What do you think?"

MJ shook her head. "Peter, you know my opinion. I think she's the one. But I'm with May on this one. I think you need to go and talk to this girl and find out the truth about the situation. You can't really trust anyone, even if you and Osborn supposedly had this heart to heart, and he's reformed, or whatever."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Oh, trust me," he affirmed. "I haven't bought his act from the start. I _know_ he's up to something."

MJ nodded. "Good," she said, and quickly kissed him and put his mask back on. "Go out and see what this is all about. And be careful…the Kingpin's still involved."

Peter put a hand on her shoulder. This wasn't something that was just about him alone. It involved Mary Jane as well and he vowed to find out the truth, for her sake.

He then left the house as inconspicuously as he could. _No rest for the weary_, he lamented, as he swung his way out of Forest Hills and back towards the city. He thought back to his most recent discovery of the technology used to trigger his spider-sense, coming from the Tinkerer. There was no sign of the man, but Peter had a feeling that if he could find the old scientist then perhaps he might be able to connect the dots to see exactly how Fisk was planning at coming at him, or what he was trying to pull with this Spider-Girl thing.

But for now, he was out of answers. Thus, he went in search of this supposed "long-lost daughter."

Location: Unknown

Norman Osborn could not help himself.

He gaped, half in awe, half in terror. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned the other way and pointed at Fisk. "But…but…you were just talking to her outside while I—"

Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, boomed with laughter, standing adjacent to the window that separated him and Osborn from the test room which now housed that which had caused Osborn's reaction. "Did you really think that I didn't have my eyes on you from the moment you arrived here? Did you really think this—" he gestured into the room "—was my daughter?"

Both men looked back through the glass and watched. Spider-Girl was inside, fighting off tons and tons of simulated enemies. Apparently this was a Danger-Room-like environment that had been built particularly for her training, and she was doing an incredible job of training. Around her, tons of robotic adversaries flew in numerous directions, firing sharp blades, lasers, and projectiles her way.

At an inhuman speed, she was ducking and dodging everything that was being thrown at her, and one by one, she was disabling every hovering object above her. There were approximately ten "sources," and a few fired out lasers of varying speeds, some fired out concrete slabs in her direction, another fired out circular blades, and others simply flew around her head like jumbo-sized gnats, trying to throw her off guard and distract her while the others tried to kill her. She dispatched of them all, and then she took the three "gnat"-like objects in her hands, whirled them around and chucked them right at Osborn.

Osborn ducked and rolled to the ground, still cuffed as the glass shattered and bits and pieces dug into the fallen man's skin. Fisk, who had felt Osborn fall to the ground, began laughing again, and then turned back to the room and outstretched a hand to Spider-Girl. As Osborn staggered to his feet, hopping up as best as he could in the hallway of Fisk's lab, he watched as Spider-Girl removed her mask, revealing the same face he had noticed earlier speaking with Vanessa and Wilson Fisk. Then she took Fisk's hand and jumped through the hole where the window had once been, and climbed to the ceiling, watching Fisk and Osborn silently.

Fisk smiled. "You see Norman, this isn't my daughter," he said, pointing to Spider-Girl. Although blind, he could sense that she had jumped to the ceiling. "This is my creation. As I said, I have perfected what Smythe, God rest his soul, could not. 20 different prototypes and not a single one could defeat Spider-Man. But in just one attempt, I have created…the ultimate Spider-Slayer."

Spider-Girl, or whatever she was, dropped from the ceiling and stood next to Fisk now, smiling. "You have just witnessed a demonstration of her battle abilities," Fisk continued. "But that's not all. I can tell that until you just saw this demonstration, you probably figured her to be no different than any other human female. In fact, I know what you're thinking."

Kingpin turned his back to Osborn, chuckling. "Oh, Norman. You're good. You're really, really good," he said, continuing to chuckle. "Did you really think I was that stupid? That all those years ago, when you showed up on my doorstep with a child, there wouldn't be some sort of a catch? Some trick you would pull?" He turned back around, pointing at Osborn furiously and abruptly ending his chuckles. "I know what you pulled. I immediately detected that you had exposed the kid to some sort of sick, twisted formula. You wanted to use me to get back at Spider-Man, and so you gave me his daughter after you screwed her up with your sick science, hoping that she would grow up one day in my employ as some sort of a demented freak, his worst failure…"

He laughed bitterly. "And so you thought, this is the result of your handwork. The kid has grown up too fast. I don't know what to do, so I'm coming back here and will figure things out. Right?"

Osborn didn't answer, because what he saw next left him speechless.

A guard wheeled in a stroller, in which lay a sleeping, healthy, brown-haired young toddler of about 2 or 3. She looked perfectly healthy, and she had all the features of Parker and his wife.

Kingpin explained that this was the long-lost Parker child.

The true one.

"Wha—how—," muttered Osborn, and then just shut up, still gaping.

"You see Norman, you may be cunning, but I think. I anticipate. I figured that you must have done something. So I cured the kid so she could enjoy a normal childhood. As you can see, there's nothing wrong with her. She's got a loving father, and a loving family. But you see, you actually helped me out, because—" he turned back to Spider-Girl. "—your intent actually gave me the idea to create Spider-Girl here."

He put an arm around the unmasked, but still costumed woman as the guards wheeled away the child. "What is she?" Osborn finally managed.

"An android, Norman," Fisk responded, smiling. "She is the next step in the evolution of the Smythe Spider-Slayer legacy. You see, I have made a great breakthrough here. Spider-Girl can fight battles at a subhuman ability. No one is any match for her power and skill. But you'd never know it by looking at her. She can eat just like a normal human being. She talks, laughs, gets angry and cries just like a normal human being. She perspires, just like a normal human being. If you prick her—" Kingpin paused and produced a pushpin, poking Spider-Girl briefly on her bare neck. A sliver of blood appeared, but she did not react. "—she bleeds. But it doesn't impact her. In short, if she has to look like a human and do things like a human, she will. But again…she's not human. And yet…"

Fisk looked at Spider-Girl and nodded. Spider-Girl then looked at Osborn and smiled at him. She then walked over to him, terrifying Osborn. For a moment, she stood in front of him, continuing to smile.

Then, without warning she pushed him against the wall and kissed him passionately. Osborn was caught completely off guard and then, he suddenly felt himself losing air, and his eyes began to bulge as Spider-Girl's lips had apparently cut off his breathing, and now some odd pincers emerged from her nose and clamped themselves around his nostrils. After what seemed like an eternity, he succumbed to the darkness and slid down against the wall, blacking out.

As Wilson Fisk heard Spider-Girl "knock out" Osborn, although he could not see it he instinctively knew it had happened. He smiled and spoke once more to the downed man, despite the fact that he could no longer hear him. "You see Norman, you're going to be helping me out too. You just don't know it yet." He chuckled. "And you probably never will, either." He snapped his fingers, as guards came to pick up the seemingly lifeless form of Osborn…

He then pretended to look off in the distance, and now spoke to no one in particular (except Spider-Girl, who stood attentively). "I have come back to retake my throne, as the Boss of All Bosses. I know Spider-Man has risen in influence, and so this is going to serve as a wonderful distraction to occupy him while I deal with the more important matters at hand…like the current usurper…" Fisk took the pushpin that he had used to demonstrate Spider-Girl's capabilities to Osborn, just moments ago, and walked up to the wall where Osborn had fallen. He scratched two Ds into the wall, and then, in a fit of rage he suddenly drew a huge K over them, and then scratched the whole thing up and emitted a primal scream…

Somewhere inside the facility, hidden away, another presence had heard the whole scene unfold in horror. Murdock knew this was not going to end well…for him or for Spider-Man.

**TO BE CONTINUED in Peter Parker: Spider Man #162 – **_**The Greatest Trick the Devil Ever Pulled**_


	7. The Greatest Trick the Devil Ever Pulled

_At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility._

**PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN**

#162

Starring:

**Peter Parker, **aka** SPIDER-MAN  
*** Last seen: Forest Hills, NY. Current status: Heading back to New York City

**Norman Osborn, **aka **THE GREEN GOBLIN  
*** Last seen: Kingpin's lab. Current status: Unconscious Prisoner

**Wilson Fisk, **aka **THE KINGPIN  
*** Last seen: His lab. Current status: Gleeful at having revealed a dark secret to his newest prisoner, Norman Osborn

**Spider-Girl **aka **Spider-Slayer Mark XX  
*** Last seen: Kingpin's lab. Current status: Awaiting further instructions from Kingpin.

**Matt Murdock, aka DAREDEVIL**  
* Last seen: Kingpin's lab. Current status: Infiltrated the facility, having learned of his adversary's plans.

**The Face On The Milk Carton--Part Seven of Ten**

"_The Greatest Trick the Devil Ever Pulled"_

_Two Days Ago_

Upstate New York

"So are you interested? Can I rely on you?" Wilson Fisk asked, rather impatient to get this over with. "I'm sure you're well aware of how I don't like dealing with you inventor types."

The old man laughed. "You won't have to worry about me. As I recall, Smythe the younger seemed to prefer working for you, until his idealism got in the way. I don't really care who I work for, as long as I get paid. I don't have any affiliation or loyalty to anyone or anything. Just pay me and I'll get the job done." He grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth. While Fisk couldn't see them, he could smell them rotting, but he kept his disgust to himself and nodded, smiling.

He had come to the Tinkerer's farm in upstate New York to secure his services in his latest plan—ensuring that his own stay in the United States would be permanent and that before he settled down, Spider-Man and Norman Osborn were out of the way. He knew of the reputation the inventor carried, of being a fiercely independent type, loyal to nothing but money. Still, he needed Phineas Mason if this was to work. They were sitting across from each other, separated by a desk that looked around 200 years old. While Fisk could not see the desk due to his blindness, he had placed a hand on it and had immediately realized its age by means of the texture.

_For all the obsession this old man has with technology, you'd think he could at least get newer furniture…this stuff is ancient! _Fisk mused.

He then leaned back in his seat, which creaked as he did so. _More old furniture_, Fisk thought. He returned Mason's smile without realizing it. "Good," he responded. "So let's talk time here. I had my men ransack Smythe's last known location and they found these prototypes for the last model." One of the bodyguards standing behind Fisk produced a folder containing a stack of sheets. Mason opened them up and begin paging through numerous technical looking drawings and notes. "How long do you think it will take you to improve on the prototypes left behind by Smythe?"

For a moment, Mason appeared to be fascinated, paging through Smythe's work excitedly. But when he had finished going through all the drawings, he closed the folder, and looked at Fisk. He took off his glasses and scratched his forehead, and sighed.

Then, to Fisk's shock (and dismay) from under the table, he produced a shredder and swiftly shoved the folder into the machine, destroying the drawings. As Fisk heard the sounds of the shredder, he let out an enraged yell.

"What are you doing!??!?!" demanded Fisk, as Mason smiled. The bodyguards moved near Fisk, ready to take action if necessary. The old man was indeed battier than he had realized.

"Oh, nothing. Trust me, you won't be needing those if you want me to make another Spider-Slayer," he said.

Fisk pointed in the air. "What do you mean?"

The Tinkerer's eyes gleamed as he opened one of the drawers on the desk and produced another folder, much bigger than the one he had just shredded. "You see Fisk, I've been working on something I've decided to call…Project Android," he said. "Much bigger than what your friend was ever capable of producing. And quite frankly, what your friend produced is an insult to inventors everywhere."

Fisk grunted. This guy was batty _and_ arrogant. Great combination.

"Fisk, what you need is a dose of ingenuity. I'd be willing to adapt my plans to fit your needs…but in exchange for my work, I demand that this creation be on a rental basis only," he declared, smiling at Fisk. "You see, I don't plan on leaving this project with anyone. As the creator of something as revolutionary as this…I might have a little…attachment with my work…my apologies."

Fisk threw up his arms, and stood up. He nodded. One of the men produced a suitcase and Mason's grin became impossibly huge (oh, the stink of his teeth!) as he snatched it and opened it up, his greed overpowering every other instinct he had.

Unfortunately for Mason, that was a huge mistake. The moment he opened the suitcase, a boxing glove snapped out like an accordion and socked him right in the face, causing him to fly back over his chair and headfirst into the wall.

Fisk began laughing uncontrollably as one of the men rushed over to ensure that the Tinkerer was indeed unconscious, and then they grabbed the old man, Fisk grabbed the notes, and they left Mason's "hideout."

The Enforcers could be apprehended now without any worries, because Fisk had just changed the equation yet again. He didn't mind Mason actually producing the next Spider-Slayer, but it would be under Kingpin's terms.

_Now_

Location: Unknown

Phineas Mason could not believe how foolish he had been. Allowing himself to fall for the tricks of this oversized oaf and end up imprisoned in this…place. He looked around distastefully, as he finally began to come to terms with his cell. He was in a white-walled, sparse room with nothing around him, and no sign of any door (although he was aware that a door was there, just not one that he could make out with his eyes. He recalled doors sliding open when he had been thrown in here initially).

He had completed the Spider-Girl version of the Spider-Slayer yesterday in 12 hours, working off the half-complete model that had been sitting in one of his many "hideouts" that Kingpin had managed to retrieve. As he worked, Fisk and twenty of his goons watched over him to ensure he did not do anything out of line, but Mason was almost positive they had no clue what he was doing. Indeed, they were taking a huge risk in trusting that he was going to create this thing properly. When he was done, he presented it to the Kingpin who could not have been more thrilled and demoed the android rather excitedly.

Luckily for Mason though, the Kingpin was more foolish than he was. Before activating the model, Mason had made sure to ensure there was a "kill switch" that would completely reverse Spider-Girl's programming and ensure its loyalty to only one person—him. The only downside was that he had been unable to find a way to remotely enable this programming, and the requirement was that he would need to be within one hundred feet and activate it with his voice. If he would have done it right away, Kingpin would have immediately figured out what had happened and would have probably killed the Tinkerer on the spot and destroyed his creation.

That was the key. He could not let Spider-Girl…his creation…his…_child_…be tampered with or put in harm's way.

And then it hit him. If he could just get close to her for a moment…he could trigger the "kill switch" command to go off with a time delay of twelve hours, perhaps. The key was that he had to get Fisk to activate it, with his voice, saying the exact command, because the current programming of Spider-Girl only took orders from Fisk. But how would he do this?

The Tinkerer didn't have to think about it for long as one of the white walls suddenly parted and the Kingpin walked in, followed closely behind by Spider-Girl. He looked at Mason, smiling gleefully.

"There's been a delay of twelve hours on the kill," he boomed, looking at Tinkerer. "I've found something…rather interesting and I'd like your input. Come with me." He turned around and walked back through the opening. Spider-Girl followed and Tinkerer got up and joined them.

As he walked with them through Fisk's lair, he could not believe his luck. Kingpin had just unwittingly activated the killswitch with a delay of twelve hours! This was almost too good to be true, but he dared not reveal any emotion. Clearly, Spider-Girl had not reacted when Kingpin had made the declaration…but Mason knew that if all went well, she would be listening to her father again.

They entered another room and it appeared to be a hospital-like emergency room. The main attraction was a number of men with white coats and facemasks huddled over what appeared to be a dead body lying on a bed. He looked at Fisk. "What did you want to show me?"

Fisk gestured, not quite getting the direction right due to his lack of sight, but essentially implied that he wanted Tinkerer to see for himself.

Mason moved a little closer and saw the face on the body lying on the bed. He was a little surprised to see who it was, and then turned around to the Kingpin. "What's this?" he asked.

"What does it look like?" Fisk responded innocently. Then he grinned evilly. "I know you're an inventor, and not a chemist, but all the same I thought you'd appreciate what I'm about to do here. You might…want to step back for a moment." Mason looked at Fisk for a moment, unsure of what to do, and then decided to join him and Spider-Girl at the end of the room.

One of the men in white coats grabbed a syringe from the table near the bed that appeared to be full of some sort of clear fluid. To the naked eye, it looked like plain water but Mason knew right away that it was not water. He handed the syringe to another "white-coat," who closely examined the syringe. Then he looked at the body, lifted up the syringe, and in one swift motion stabbed it into the arm, and then stepped back.

For a moment, nothing happened. The men looked at each other, almost disappointed. Mason looked at Fisk, though, and he had a smile of anticipation on his face. Perhaps he couldn't see that nothing was happening. He looked back at the men in the white coats just in time to see something that sent a chill down his spine and as he tried turning around and running out of the room he noticed that Spider-Girl had suddenly vanished and two bodyguards were now standing in her place.

The streets of New York

Matt Murdock leapt off the roof, amazed at his luck at not being caught.

He had just escaped from the Kingpin's lair and had obtained confirmation that his greatest foe was indeed back in town. What's worse, he had a whole host of surprises ready to unleash on him. He had to get back to Hell's Kitchen as soon as possible and mobilize a contingent of his men to shut this whole thing down before it was too late to stop the mobster.

As he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, using the extended Billy club as a hoist of sorts, he had to catch himself, still amazed that he was now in control and had the upper hand. In the past, he had always played from a position of weakness…the underdog. But this time, it was Wilson Fisk that had to sneak around.

Daredevil wondered just how Fisk had managed to get back into the USA without any trouble. Clearly, there had to be some sort of infiltration going on within the ranks of the government for something like this to be taking place. He had made sure that the guy was out of his life after hearing that Vanessa had ended up killing their child, the Rose. He was still trying to comprehend how she could have brought herself to undertake such an act, and wondered if he'd ever have to make such a decision himself…

_Well, I wonder if I'll ever be in that position period…seeming that my love life can't ever seem to go right._

Milla. The name alone now seemed to blend in with the rest. He had tried calling her all week since he had stupidly mentioned Karen to her and caused her to walk out on him. No response, and her voicemail didn't appear to be working either. The phone would just ring. He had thought about dropping by her place but had decided it would probably only worsen the situation. Hopefully this was just a small thing that would blow over, and he really hoped that was the case because right now, with this little matter of being in charge of the city's underworld, combined with the fact that Kingpin was back in town…

_Let's just say I'm going to be a little busy for oh, probably the next month or so_, he mused.

As he sensed himself coming closer to home, he began to mentally prepare himself for the meditation session he had planned for himself that night. Under the circumstances, it was probably the best possible remedy to everything he had been going through, mentally and—

_Pain!_

Daredevil's thoughts were swiftly interrupted by a kick to his temple that sent him careening in mid-air, at least a thousand feet above ground, turning into a fall that he had to break. As he tumbled to the streets, the sounds of loud rustling nearby alerted him that a flagpole was close, and he maneuvered himself in mid-air to catch the flag and stop the fall.

He then climbed up the pole and steadied himself, trying to process what had just happened.

Why had he not sensed that? If anyone tried to pull stunts like that on him he could usually sense a foreign presence way before it happened. But in this case…he had gotten nothing.

Before he could move again, he was kicked again, in the back. Again—no warning. He tumbled off the flagpole, and this time he took a rapid fall to the sidewalk and landed on his back with a sickening thud. Luckily, this time was only about fifty feet…but it still hurt immensely.

For a moment he just lay there, stunned. And then, in the next instant he sustained a kick to his ribs that felt like it came from an iron boot. He involuntarily convulsed, and he could tell that a few bones had now been broken. Another kick then came, then another, and another. A few more ribs had probably now followed. He started to wonder if his lungs were going to collapse when the kicks suddenly ceased, and then he heard a voice that he had never been more thrilled to hear than that very instant.

"Y'know, there's already a Bonecrusher, and unfortunately he doesn't exist in our universe."

Daredevil sensed Spider-Man, and managed a grin through the pain. He then sensed Spider-Man engaging in battle with the assailant. He tried to yell out at Peter to inquire about exactly what he was facing "S-s-Spider—" was all he could manage.

"Yeah, it's Spider-Girl!" responded Spider-Man, amidst his battle. "Don't worry, I should have known this was some sort of a trick. You know, she came by my place and claimed she was my daughter?"

Daredevil laughed weakly. "She-she's an android."

Spider-Man couldn't hear him as he had moved to the rooftop of the nearest building. Daredevil staggered to his feet, gingerly touching his ribs. He took a deep breath…no trashed lungs. Good.

He then winced as he climbed up to the rooftop and got closer to the action. As Spider-Man traded blows with Spider-Girl, Daredevil noticed that she was getting the better of him. _Time to throw caution to the wind_, he figured, and jumped into the fray, trying to whack the android in the head and whiffing badly.

Spider-Man looked surprised to see the injured Daredevil join him, as he kicked Spider-Girl in her solar plexus. Daredevil was not surprised to see it had little effect, and he quickly told him that she was an android.

"A what?" Spider-Man said, stopping momentarily in shock. It was a big mistake as it allowed Spider-Girl to rebound from the previous hit and headbutt Spider-Man. Daredevil tried sweeping Spider-Girl with a leg but she was too fast and easily jumped it, flipping in mid-air and landing into a handstand, flipping out a leg and trying to catch Daredevil in the face. He barely moved out of the way, just as Spider-Man came back and tried to tackle her.

"An android, eh?" Spider-Man said. "Well, it explains—" whiffed punch "—why—" whiffed kick "—she's—" whiffed headbutt "—been—" sustained an elbow "—impossible—" sustained a knee "—to stop!"

Daredevil busted out the club and motioned to Spider-Man to join him in the corner. The web-slinger somersaulted to him, and Matt motioned to his club quickly. Spider-Man nodded, and then he ejected a spray of webbing and then Matt threw his club into the webbing.

As Spider-Girl approached wordlessly, charging at them, Spider-Man whirled around multiple times with the billy club turning into a deadly whip, and then, like a discus thrower, he let it smack right into Spider-Girl's face.

The impact of the blow knocked her down, but only for a second. She got back up instantly and continued her charge.

Spider-Man cursed, and looked at Daredevil. "Yep, she's an android all right." In the next instant, they quickly moved out of the way as Spider-Girl barely missed tackling them at the edge of the roof.

Miraculously, it actually sent her flying off the rooftop, and down into the alley below. The two heroes exchanged glances and cheered. Then they heard a limo pulling up to where Spider-Girl had fallen, and watched as the doors opened and a few men in white coats dragged out a man whose face was covered in a white sheet, seemingly unconscious. The Kingpin then emerged and looked up at the two men. Spider-Girl got up and joined the crowd that had formed below.

Fisk began laughing, and then pointed at Spider-Man and Daredevil. "Hello there, good men! Boy, do I have a surprise for you!"

He then snapped his fingers and one of the men produced something from his coat pocket. Spider-Man mentioned to Daredevil that it was a test tube of some sort with some kind of a clear fluid in it.

They then removed the sheet on the man's face to reveal—"Norman Osborn?" demanded Spider-Man. Before the two heroes could act, the goons held him down and injected the syringe into the businessman's arm. He seemed to then awake from what had been a deep slumber and howled in pain, and then he fell down to the ground face first.

For a few moments, nothing happened, and the Kingpin's clan moved away while Spider-Girl remained closer.

Then Daredevil began to sense the changes. The shirt Osborn had been wearing began tearing up as horns began to emerge from his back and his skin color began turning green. His muscles began to contort and then his arms began to change shape, veins popping out. The same occurred on his legs, and his head grew larger, still facing down. His breathing turned into hoarse rasping, and fire seemed to appear like magic around his body, seemingly enveloping him. For a moment, it seemed as though he was going to burn.

But then, he raised his head up and roared. It certainly didn't sound human. Daredevil sensed Spider-Man recoil, and before he could ask why, Spider-Man explained without prompting.

"Animalistic fangs? Check. Drool sliding off said fangs? Check. Contorted goblin-like face? Check. Yellow eyes? Check. Maniacal smile? Check," said Spider-Man, tonelessly. Then he looked at Daredevil. "Both of us in a little bit of a bind? Big ol' check."

"Don't forget my busted ribs," Daredevil muttered.

Spider-Girl was hard enough to counter on her own. Spider-Girl and Osborn together?

Not good.

**TO BE CONTINUED in Peter Parker: Spider Man #163 – **_**Knock-Knock**_


	8. Knock Knock

_At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility._

**PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN**

#163

Starring:

**Peter Parker, **aka** SPIDER-MAN**

**Norman Osborn, **aka **THE GREEN GOBLIN**

**Mary Jane Watson-Parker **

**Aunt May Parker**

**Wilson Fisk, **aka **THE KINGPIN**

**Phineas Mason, **aka **THE TINKERER  
**  
**Spider-Slayer Mark XX, **aka **SPIDER-GIRL  
**  
**Matt Murdock, **aka** DAREDEVIL**

**-----**

**The Face On The Milk Carton--Part Eight of Ten**

"_Knock-Knock"_

Forest Hills, NY

_9 AM_

"Peter Parker? No, I'm sorry, he's not available right now…what's that? You've tried him at every other possible number…this was his emergency number? Well…I'm sure he would have called you back if it was this important—excuse me young lady? Now that's no way to talk to an elderly woman like myself, if you claim you're in charge of molding the minds of our most precious—my oh my, what are you saying! I will just not have it any more, you're really starting to—wait…_what???_ You can't threaten him with that! By God, he's my nephew and I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for all this—_all right, you know what, that is it!_ _Up yours!_"

May Parker slammed the phone shut, nearly breaking it, and just stood there for a moment, fuming. _How dare they! What has gotten into these people??_ she thought.

As she turned around, she jumped when she saw Mary Jane Watson-Parker, her nephew's wife, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking bewildered.

"Aunt May?" she asked, looking concerned. The girl's look said it all. This was the first time she had ever seen May completely lose it like that. _And to be quite honest, this is the first time in _ages _that I've ever lost it like that. Ugh._

For a second May looked embarrassed and hung her head. Then she began laughing softly. Mary Jane snickered, and pretty soon both of the women were having fits of hysteria, hugging each other for a moment—May could see MJ's surprise as she slapped her on the back as the fits of laughter died down.

"Oh my, Mary Jane…I am so…_hehe_…sorry," said May, as the two women proceeded to the living room, taking the couch.

Mary Jane shook her head, smiling. "Wow, you hot thing, you. What in the world was _that_ all about?"

May threw up her hands. "Oh, it was the high school. Peter's used up all his sick days and so the administrative staff has been calling around trying to get a hold of him," she said, proceeding to pour the two of them some orange juice for the morning "Apparently it was a Julie from Administration? I think she needs to learn some manners."

Mary Jane nearly spit out her drink, her eyes widening, then stifling a laugh. She took another sip, and then shook her head. "Wow. Aunt May, you're lucky it wasn't me that picked up the phone. 'Needs to learn manners' doesn't even begin to describe what a sadistic creep this woman is…and yeah, woman plus sadistic creep? Not a combination you see very often."

May shrugged as she swirled the liquid around in her glass absent-mindedly, and she smiled mischievously. "I don't know about that," she said. "But yes, she threatened to fire Peter, and I guess that really sent me off the deep end. I take it you and her are well-acquainted?"

"Oh God, Aunt May, you have no idea," she responded sarcastically, smirking. "I mean, this is the kind of fun stuff Peter gets to regale me with when he comes home at the end of a long day." She put a hand on her head and lay back into the cushions, giggling. "This woman has started something called a 'Truancy Taskforce' at school. Sounds all high and mighty, right? She's enforcing the great cause of keeping kids in school." She sniffed. "Yeah, great cause if you believe in sending an army to the 'truant party's' house."

"An army?" asked May.

"Yes…an army of doctors, cops, and old ladies…seriously, you can't make this up!" Mary Jane said, as Aunt May looked amazed, unable able to contain her laughter again.

And with that, Mary Jane began to explain to Aunt May the fantastical legend of Julie from Administration, as more juice was poured and imbibed.

Manhattan, NY

_10 AM_

Haroon Umair stood on the sidewalk, surveying the scene just ahead of him, his heart pounding rapidly. _First day on the job…this is gonna be revolutionary…and for the love of God, I'm risking my life here._

Having gone to Medill, he had come out of journalism school with big dreams of following in the footsteps of pioneers like Walter Cronkite, Edward Murrow, the big names of the '60s and '70s. He wanted to make a difference. Beat back all the corporate spin that had become the norm in today's media.

Instead, he had spent the last five years wallowing around from station to station, never really going anywhere. He had been bumped around the "big three" as a weekend fill-in (which had only happened about three times total), but had never made it beyond that. Mostly, he got a nice regular salary but pretty much was reduced to being an understudy for the red-eye broadcasters.

Then one day, he heard that Google was going into the "live internet-video-streaming-24/7" business and decided to throw his name out there. What did he have to lose? Surprisingly, he had gotten a job as one of New York's local correspondents, and today was his first day on the job.

As he reflected on how he had gotten here, his camera-man interrupted his thoughts, having finished making sure his phone's tethering connection was working properly, and now gave him a thumbs up as he got into position. Haroon said a quick prayer, and then held up the mic as he got the OK in his earpiece from the studio.

"Thanks Andrea, I'm here live on Park Street as Spider-Man and the Daredevil, recently revealed to be Matt Murdock, one of the most well-known attorneys in New York, are in the midst of an extremely dangerous battle with Spider-Girl and some sort of a…goblin? Folks, if you'll look directly above me you can see the battle taking place right above us…"

His camera-man panned the camera above. As he did so, Haroon looked around for a minute. The rest of the media was positioned about a half a mile away from where they were standing, almost seven blocks northeast. _What the hell are we doing?_

_Making history_, he thought, answering his own question. None of the other reporters here today were going to put their asses on the line (or get by the cops that were making sure no one got too close). Well, to hell with all that. He had already maneuvered his way to where he was standing, sneaking past all of them, and now he was too close for any cop to dare want to come and fetch him while this battle was going on.

_They probably think I'm nuts_, he thought, smiling to himself. No, they were pretty well-hidden (at least he hoped so, this alley wasn't going to hide them forever). Then he looked up again and the smile faded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's not looking too hot for the good guys right now…this goblin character seems to be throwing what can only be described as fireballs in the direction of Spider-Man and the Daredevil…both men seem to be extremely worn out…and _whoa_, there goes Spider-Girl with a roundhouse that just missed in mid-air, she was trying to knock out the Daredevil as he tried to escape to the adjacent rooftop. We're still trying to find out if any civilians are in the vicinity but it looks like most of the residents cleared out before the worst of it began…"

The burning smell reached his nose, and Haroon saw the smoke and shook his head. "Well, it doesn't smell too good here either folks, and we can now confirm…" the cameraman panned to what Haroon had just laid eyes on. "…we can now confirm at least three office buildings have caught fire thanks to the attacks being delivered by the goblin." He smiled though as he heard something through his earpiece. "Fortunately though, we've been told that all these were office buildings and miraculously, this entire block was closed off for today and tomorrow anyway due to some power testing, as it is the weekend. So we're fairly certain no one is inside those buildings as the power to them has been cut off."

Suddenly, a fireball whisked right past them. Haroon's heart raced. _This is what I live for_. "And just a second ago, folks, a fireball just flew past our vicinity!" He poked his head out of the alley to find Daredevil trying to escape the scene.

"It looks like the Daredevil is trying to call it a day, but Spider-Girl and the goblin just don't seem to want to let him go!" Here was where another station would have started to pollute the broadcast with a lecture on the morality of this whole situation, whereas the thing that had appealed to him about this job was that it stayed true to his motto of "no spin," before FOX had stolen that from under his nose.

Suddenly, without warning he heard gunshots ring from behind him in the alley. Instinctively, he ducked and his cameraman grabbed the camera and followed suit. Haroon was still clutching the mic as he crouched. He continued to lie there as he heard the sound of running coming closer…and closer…and then pass him completely. Huh? He then looked up to see about ten to twenty figures just in front of him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he whispered, after getting a thumbs-up from the cameraman. "As you may have just heard, some gunshots rang out behind us momentarily…and we had to take cover. The individuals you are watching here appear to want to join in this scene of chaos! You can clearly see here well-known mobster Jimmy Six leading this group of guys…and…what's this? Daredevil appears to be signaling to the gangsters!"

Jimmy-Six looked at Daredevil and nodded. The mobsters, standing about 100 feet away from Haroon and his cameraman, revealed their rifles, cocked them, and started firing at the goblin-creature. As the bullets tore through his back, he howled in pain, shrieking as Jimmy and his henchmen did not let up.

Spider-Girl noticed the commotion and turned away from Spider-Man, whom she had locked into a iron choke of sorts at that very moment. The moment she saw the goblin being attacked, she dropped Spider-Man in an instant and soared into the line of fire…

…and nothing happened! The bullets seemed to just clang against her and fall.

_How is this possible!?!!?_ Haroon thought, stupefied. He then became sober as he saw Spider-Girl swing into the crowd of about 10-20 guys, grab a handful of them by their necks, and toss them like a sack of potatoes into the air, where they were met by a fireball courtesy of the goblin that set all of them on fire.

Spider-Man soared in, first kicking Spider-Girl out of the way, then webbing the ground a little bit to try to break the fall of the gangsters. He then yanked a fire hydrant out of the ground that conveniently happened to be nearby, and directed the immediate burst of water that had come out towards the burning men.

"Unfortunately folks," whispered Haroon. "It appears that we may have some casualties on the scene. Spider-Man is trying to revive Jimmy-Six and his companions from the attack you just witnessed, courtesy of the goblin and Spider-Girl...but it's not looking good…" He trailed off, and then from the other end of the street, from one of the other buildings he saw _another _20-30 guys with rifles jump out of windows and start firing at the goblin again, trying to take advantage of Spider-Girl's being occupied with Spider-Man. Daredevil was seriously injured now, and the goblin seemed to be toying with him at this point before the bullets started to hit him again.

Daredevil now yelled at them. "I thought I told you guys to put your guns down and go home a long time ago! No more crime! What the hell, are you crazy!??!!?!"

Before they could respond, his yelling caught the goblin's attention, who had just sustained another round of bullets and was roaring in pain. He turned towards the source of the shots and dropped Daredevil on the rooftop, soaring down towards the men with guns. They all scattered as Haroon watched, shaking his head sadly.

"We may have some more casualties briefly, ladies and gentlemen," he said, his voice cracking. _This guy is out of control. What the hell is he?_

The wanton death and destruction here was really beginning to get to him.

Two miles away

_11:40 AM_

The Tinkerer darted down 50th street, checking his clock every few seconds.

Twenty minutes. As he saw the explosions in the distance, he figured this tête-à-tête had to be taking place on Park. So he was definitely heading the right way.

He recalled watching in horror as Osborn had transformed into the monstrous form of a real-life, fire-breathing dragon/goblin hybrid, a mockery (or a tribute) to his costumed identity. While the Kingpin had left to go test out his newest toy on Spider-Man, the last he had heard from a conversation he overheard from two guards was that Spider-Girl had already gone off to catch Daredevil by surprise. However, before he could ask anything further the guards had grabbed him and tossed him back into his cell, where he had decided to fall asleep.

Until about 2 hours ago, when he had awoken to find the power had been shut down at the Kingpin's place and he was lying in a pitch black room. It took him a few moments but he found what he suspected to be the door and tapped it open. The lights were dimmed and not a guard was in sight. Open door was down the hall, he had walked to it, not been stopped, and took off. It was pretty weird, but he hadn't questioned it much at the time, as he had found himself at 149th, a little ways from Yankee Stadium, and knew he was in the middle of Bronx.

He had walked around for a while, trying to get his bearings, when he had walked past a TV and seen the broadcast—they were fighting. His daughter, Osborn, Spider-Man, Daredevil.

And that's when he had started his trek to the middle of Manhattan, just trying to walk as quickly as he could.

After about an hour and a half, he had made it to 57th, hiking down Madison, only to find the police tape blocking off the rest of his trek and swarms of media pressing up against the tape like a bunch of crazed paparazzi at a movie premiere.

The Tinkerer had then pulled out from his lab coat something that looked like a rock, and then tossed it to the concrete, as he stood right in the middle of the huge crowd that had amassed by the police tape.

The instant the rock made contact with the pavement, it shattered into pieces and produced a plume of smoke that blanketed everyone standing by—cameramen, reporters, anchors, correspondents, cops, ambulances, the dogs—everyone except him.

Because as the smoke distracted everyone, including the police, and caught them off guard and sent them into wheezing fits, the Tinkerer ruffled his coat and it immediately produced (almost magically, to the human eye) a protective bulletproof glass layer that enveloped his entire form, and he calmly stepped over the police tape as the police got their bearings together and tried shooting at him. He had been working on this little trick for ages, and had been lucky to have been wearing it when Kingpin had taken him in. Although, rather stupidly, he had forgotten about his age-old rule of being safe when dealing with seedier elements, when he presumed he wouldn't need anything because Kingpin was just another mobster as they had been dealing with each other. And yes, he had also forgotten the Smythe factor (the damn suitcase).

But no matter—now he was free, and success was about to be his.

Mason looked at the police pitifully, then started running. He had about a minute of oxygen in this thing and hopefully it would be adequate. Sure enough, after about thirty seconds of running down Madison, he heard a "Stand down! He's just a nut," which gave him all the clearance he needed to keep on going without worrying about being stopped. A final bullet grazed the glass, and then he was out of their range.

As he continued running, just as the oxygen was about to run out the glass suddenly retracted back into the pocket of his coat from which it had originally emerged from. _Works perfectly_, he thought, admiring his own handiwork.

He kept moving forward.

He now ducked in an alley to prepare for the big moment, only to find a reporter and a cameraman a few feet in front of him, hiding but somehow reporting the whole fight. They didn't seem to notice the Tinkerer appearing behind them. He then saw the logo on the microphone the reporter was holding, and Mason's eyes widened. In an instant, he knew what he had to do. This stupid organization had taken an idea he had perfected ten years ago and had completely ripped it off. To him, any chance to belittle or take this group down a notch was satisfying enough to him.

As he looked at his watch to ensure that he had time to pull this off, he then pulled out what looked to be a pocket knife and swiftly threw it in the direction of the wires the camera-man had hooked up to some sort of portable generator.

As it snagged on a few of the wires and ripped them into half, the whole apparatus went dead instantly, and both the reporter and the cameraman whirled around to find the Tinkerer standing there, smiling innocently. "Internet-this, internet that…well I say, to hell with all of it! Why worry about the 'net when you can make things with your own hands!" The cameraman freaked out and recoiled away from the Tinkerer, and then ran off in the opposite direction, away from the fight and away from the Tinkerer.

But the reporter stayed. Well, now _this_ was interesting. Now that he had made his point, this man seemed to be smart enough (and brave enough) to want to learn more.

"What's your motive? What's your connection to this whole thing?" he asked, eyeing Mason questioningly.

The Tinkerer pointed up to the battle raging above them. "My boy, keep an eye on Spider-Girl. What do you see, as you watch her battle?"

The reporter turned to watch the fight briefly, then turned back to face Mason. "Well, it looks like she and this goblin are almost finished beating the tar out of Spider-Man and Daredevil."

The Tinkerer smiled. "Does it really? Look again."

The reporter had a puzzled look on his face, but then he turned around again.

At first, all anyone could see were the bodies of countless mobsters lying on the floor, the smoke from their charred remains creating somewhat of a haze in the sky. It appeared that those criminal lowlifes that Daredevil had "turned straight" as the new "king" of Hell's Kitchen were so thankful to him that they had pretty much sacrificed their lives for him, and to be honest it seemed somewhat of a waste.

But following the haze up revealed something amazing. Spider-Girl, who had up until that moment been pounding away at Spider-Man's face on one of the rooftops, had suddenly stopped as clock bells began to ring out in the distance

Noon.

Forest Hills, NY

_11:40 AM_

"So get this…there's three of them. The cop is assigned to the school, so he goes to the house in the interest of making sure the kid is OK, and as he's talking to the parent, the doctor comes in and says he's going to check up on the kid who called in sick, and if the kid's temperature isn't over 100 degrees…well, that's where it gets interesting."

May was spellbound. "Go on."

Mary Jane slapped her knees and shook her head. "The old lady then shows up at the front door, and the cop gives an order from the school to have the "truant student" accompany the old lady all day long. To learn what life is like when the average American doesn't have to work and doesn't have to go to school."

May furrowed her eyebrows, smirking. "Well, no wonder I was insulted. _She_ thinks old people's lives are so boring, that just because they don't work and they don't go to school, means they're useless?"

Mary Jane fluttered her fingers. "Look out Aunt May," she said ominously. "Julie might be secretly trying to recruit you to join her task force!"

The two of them burst out laughing again, before finally settling down. Mary Jane checked her watch and her jaw dropped. They had completely lost track of the time, with all the stories about Julie and other things. Mary Jane stood up and pulled open the curtains to reveal a muggy sky outside. "Aunt May…it's almost noon. Peter's been gone since 1 AM."

May got a little worried and turned on the TV, flipping to CNN.

Her heart sank as she read the headline at the bottom of the screen—"CONFIRMED: SPIDER-MAN AND DAREDEVIL BATTLING SPIDER-GIRL AND GOBLIN-LIKE CREATURE" (even though she couldn't make out much beyond small figures jumping and flying around).

The reporter then announced they would be switching to Google's feed of the event, and the view changed instantly to a shot standing literally a block away from the fight. Hundreds of bodies of men with guns lay still in the street. Spider-Man was taking a severe beating from Spider-Girl amongst them, and Daredevil was far away on another rooftop, motioning to men with guns. May gasped at the sight of Peter weakly trying to oppose punch after punch from the woman that May had thought was her nephew's daughter.

"Mary Jane," she said, while continuing to look at the TV screen.

"Yes, Aunt May?" asked Mary Jane, standing with a look of horror on her face, her eyes also glued to the set.

"That's not your daughter," she said softly. "Even if it is actually her, and they've done something to her...that…_thing_…has become something else."

Mary Jane watched, still standing as the punches came too fast for her eyes to catch, and then when she couldn't take it anymore, she suddenly seemed light-headed and woozy, and then May caught her before she could faint.

Both women, who had been laughing and joking mere minutes ago, were now reduced to tears, fearing for the man in their lives.

50th and Park Street

_12 PM_

As the noon bells rang, Spider-Girl now had her head cocked, as if she was in some sort of a daze. She then looked at the goblin, who was throwing several mobsters off the top of a skyscraper to certain death, having forgotten about Daredevil who was somewhere nearby, licking his wounds no doubt. Suddenly, she left Spider-Man on the ground, turning to the falling men, and she flicked her wrists as webbing emerged and she used the webbing to maneuver herself into position to be able to catch the men in mid-air. The mobsters wore a stunned look as Spider-Girl had each of them by an arm, and she placed them down gently. They took off down another alley as she looked back at the goblin again, who was confused and somewhat surprised.

The Tinkerer smiled, and then he yelled out, finally revealing himself. "My daughter…I am here!"

Spider-Girl turned around and he could hear the joy from under her mask. "Father!"

"Come, let us leave this haven at once!" he said, beckoning to her. As the goblin became aware of what had just happened, he angrily prepared a fireball to toss in their direction, but Spider-Girl was too quick, catching the fireball with her webbing and somehow repelling it back in the goblin's direction.

The goblin screamed as he got hit with his own weapon, and fell off the roof of the skyscraper, tumbling to the ground below. Luckily for him, his fall was broken by a flagpole, and then by an overhanging roof of another building, before he crashed down to the street with a thud, unconscious but still breathing.

The Tinkerer looked at Haroon, with Spider-Girl now standing next to him. "Any questions?" he asked.

Haroon raised his eyebrows. "Interesting. Well, I think that says it all."

The Tinkerer shrugged, and then Spider-Girl grabbed her father and swung off, the two leaving the battle scene.

A minute after they had left, Haroon held the portion of the mic that showed the Google logo parallel with his eyes, and then he began to speak. "Well ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, our cameraman departed, but due to the forward-thinking technology of Google, Inc., I'm able to keep reporting to you live using my microphone, which has a built in camera and router prepared to broadcast the same way our regular equipment does."

He paused for a moment, and then he continued. "We just heard from a man who claims to be the father of Spider-Girl, and you'll all note that at exactly 12:00 PM, she stopped fighting, rescued several men being thrown to the ground by the goblin, and then left with her 'father.' What does this mean? We'll try to find out for you."

He then turned the mic back into a normal stance and aimed it at the scene. The goblin was lying still about five hundred feet away from him, fire still burning around him. Haroon kept the mic in place, his heart racing. He wanted to make sure everyone at home could see what was happening.

He looked up briefly. Spider-Man and Daredevil had disappeared, likely leaving the scene to recover. It was a wonder that they were still alive after the beating they had taken, but that was why they were superheroes.

The sound of a car pulling up to the massive form of the goblin interrupted his thoughts. A limo screeched next to the downed form of the goblin, and out from the limo, preceded by what looked to be some security guards, was Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin.

He staggered out of the limousine and ran with a syringe in his hands to the downed form of the goblin. He slid down next to him and immediately stuck the needle into his arm.

"Folks, it gets a little _more_ interesting," Haroon whispered.

Fisk heard him and looked right at him. The man did not look happy. In fact, he looked furious. In the next instant, he produced a gun and aimed it at Haroon, while pulling the needle out of the goblin's arm.

_Oh boy_, he thought. _Um, well I would have at least gotten to say in a really cool voice—"_What can this mean?"—_when Fisk just stuck his needle into the goblin's arm. But yeah, maybe now's the time where I start to look stupid. I'm going to get executed by the biggest criminal mastermind of our time, on live internet TV_. Unbeknownst to him, he was actually now being simulcast on pretty much all the other news channels.

"Damn you, damn media! Damn it all" yelled the Kingpin, and he prepared to pull the trigger.

Just before he could pull the trigger though, a red, white, and blue circular object whirled at the gun and knocked it out of his hands. The Kingpin yelled out "Who—!" before his eyes widened, and then he scrambled into his limo and it screeched away, leaving the goblin where he was.

Haroon then looked up in time to see a metallic red and yellow figure soar down in front of him, arms crossed.

"_Tut-tut,_" said Iron Man. "_It looks like you lost your feed."_

Haroon was confused. "Well, as you can see, I already did—"

He was interrupted by the sound of a buzzing noise around his ear, and then he watched helplessly as his mic seemed to fly out of his hands and given to Iron Man, who promptly crushed it.

The Wasp, having dropped the mic in Iron Man's hand, blew Haroon a kiss. "Bye bye, paparazzo!"

The two of them then turned to where the Kingpin had been, but he and the limo were long gone.

As for the goblin though, in his place, a human male was now lying face down. Haroon tried to get a peek behind Iron Man's armor, but before he could make anything out, he felt himself being grabbed and slammed into the alley's wall, face-to-face with…

She-Hulk.

She had him pinned by the shoulder with one hand and leaned against the wall with another, and she looked him up and down, then smiled sweetly.

Haroon held up one hand, shaking his head. "All right, all right! I'm done. Can you at least let me go?" She obliged, and watched him like a hawk as he descended down the alley, reaching Madison, not daring to turn around.

Then he started to walk towards the police tape way off in the distance on 57th, trying to process what he had just been through. He certainly hadn't anticipated running into the Wilson Fisk or the Avengers, both trying to shut down his broadcast and only one succeeding.

After taking two steps, his cellphone started making all kinds of noise. _Must have just gotten service again_. He pulled it out and began to laugh.

400 text messages.

It appeared this thing had gone better than he had expected.

_Oh boy. _

Rego Park, NY

_1 PM_

The rusty Buick had been sitting in the parking lot for hours. To the untrained eye, it would appear as though no one was inside.

But in fact, there were two occupants. And one of them was talking to the other.

"You know…I never wanted this life."

The woman looked at the toddler making cooing noises in the babyseat behind her.

"I was twenty-one. I was in Columbia. Studying law, doing well. And then I met _him_."

She put her hand on her head, tears flowing from her eyes. "He had such a magnetism to him. I tried everything to tell him no, that I wasn't interested, I didn't want a relationship…but he was so charming, and God…what he bought me…the things he won me over with."

The toddler responded with a few half-syllables.

"Oh no, I didn't have any illusions about that. I mean, I didn't know he was a crime-lord, but I could tell he didn't care for much beyond his money. And _still_."

The toddler reached at a fly that had been buzzing around in the car for a while, trying to catch it.

"Yes, you're right. I got caught up in it eventually. I have blood on my hands now. I've become the very thing that I despised about him when I found out who he really was. My God—" she said, choking back tears. "I f****** killed my own son."

She then shook her head, shaking. "No. No. No. I'm a good person! It's not my fault. Dammit, it's not my fault. That's why I shut the power off before we took off from there, and then I called the cops on him—they've probably trashed the place by now and taken everyone prisoner. That's why I took you away from it."

She then looked straight ahead, steeling herself. "That's why we're getting the hell out of this state. Away from everyone…and everything." She smiled, looking at the toddler who giggled returning the glance. "It was fun sneaking out from there last night. Wasn't it? Don't you worry…I'm going to make sure that from now on, you're raised the right way."

And with that, she started the car again and they hopped back on the road.

Vanessa Fisk didn't know where the hell she was going. But it just felt good to be moving on and starting over.

**TO BE CONTINUED in Peter Parker: Spider Man #164 – **_**If You Have To Kill A Snake…**_


	9. If You Have to Kill a Snake…

_At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility._

**PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN**

#164

Starring:

**Peter Parker, **aka** SPIDER-MAN**

**Norman Osborn, **aka **THE GREEN GOBLIN**

**Mary Jane Watson-Parker**

**Aunt May Parker**

**Wilson Fisk, **aka **THE KINGPIN**

**Vanessa Fisk**

**Matt Murdock, **aka** DAREDEVIL**

**Giacomo Fortunato, **aka **JIMMY-6**

**Tony Stark, **aka **IRON MAN  
**

**Janet Pym, **aka **THE WASP  
**

**Jennifer Walters, **aka **SHE-HULK**

**Steve Rogers, **aka **CAPTAIN AMERICA  
**

**Clint Barton, **aka **HAWKEYE**

**-----**

**The Face On The Milk Carton--Part Nine of Ten**

"_If You Have to Kill a Snake…"_

50th and Park Street

The bodies were piled up and wrapped in body bags, some still smoldering, others completely unrecognizable, and still others looking twisted and deformed. A closer look at some revealed men in their dying throes, while others were simply unconscious and lay at rest, relieved to no longer be facing what they had been up against a mere two hours ago.

Iron Man flew off with the last body bag towards the police line several blocks down the road, while Captain America assisted the few survivors of the war that Spider-Girl and Norman Osborn had wreaked on Spider-Man and Daredevil a short time ago.

One man sat in a corner, clearly in shock, as Captain America gave him a water bottle, which he eagerly consumed. As he peered closely at him, he noticed that this guy had taken less damage than many of his peers. He had a few burns, a lot of scratches on his hands and head, and scuffs on his clothes, but otherwise nothing major.

When he was satisfied that the survivor could get around on his own, Captain America motioned over to a few cops in the distance, flanked by EMTs, who promptly slapped a pair of handcuffs on the guy and herded him over to an ambulance sitting near an alleyway. These men were still mobsters, despite their currently being victims, and if the man was good enough to walk around and move under his own power, then he was good enough to stand trial.

As Captain America turned from the man he had just been assisting, he noticed that the downed form of Norman Osborn, which She-Hulk had been keeping an eye on, was suddenly starting to quiver.

"Jennifer," he shouted, motioning to the previously still figure. "Look…the formula might still be active—"

Before he could say another word, Osborn's skin quickly flushed green, and smoke began to envelop him again. She-Hulk quickly tried grabbing him but Osborn, still facing down on the floor, batted her away effortlessly with a casual arm.

He then jumped to his feet, and for a moment Captain America was spellbound. Osborn's skin was now flashing back and forth between green and his normal skin-tone, but his eyes were now of a yellow-ish hue. He then opened his mouth to speak, hissing.

"_P-p-parkerrrrrrrr!!!!!! M-m-m-musssssssssst tellllllllllll him!"_

And with that, he jumped up, dodging the arrow that flew at him courtesy of Hawkeye, and grabbed onto the nearby flagpole. He climbed up the building, even as Captain America threw his shield at him. Osborn simply caught the shield and threw it back down to the ground.

Iron Man flew back rapidly from the police line, trying to stop Osborn in his tracks, but it was no use as Osborn batted him away almost exactly as he had done to She-Hulk. The red-and-yellow superhero crashed to the ground with a loud _clang_, and then before he could react Osborn was already on top of the building, moving to jump to the next one.

Captain America cursed. "Where the hell is he going???"

Hawkeye showed up next to him. "Sorry, Steve. I had a good shot at him, but it was almost like…" he shook his head. "I dunno, it seemed as though he was pretty intent on getting somewhere…getting to someone. Why was he still moving though? I thought he was down for the count."

Captain America furrowed his eyebrows. "When Fisk stuck the needle in his arm…he didn't empty the whole thing into it," he recalled. "I'm guessing he got distracted by that reporter in the corner and before he could finish the reversal dosage…we showed up. Damn."

The Wasp appeared next to them, buzzing furiously. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Come on, let's stop him!"

The Avengers regrouped and let the EMTs and other authorities take over the scene, then took off in hot pursuit of Osborn. Under no circumstances could they allow this asset to escape the premises.

Hell's Kitchen, NY

_Spider-Man…_

"Just a sec, babe…mmmm, yeah, that feels good…" responded the costumed wall-crawler, as he felt a firm rub on his shoulder. He then opened his eyes to notice his mask still on, and that he was not lying on his own bed…that he was not in his house…and that there was no gorgeous redhead anywhere near him.

"Huh? Wha--?" he said, jumping up to stand face to face with the other presence in the room. Instead of his wife, he faced a big, burly man with a rifle slung over his shoulder and a massive cast on his arm. For a moment, Spider-Man tensed up, ready to go into battle, and then he recognized the face and relaxed, falling back onto the bed but sitting up this time.

"Jeez, Jimmy 6!" Spider-Man exclaimed. "You scared the hell out of me."

The mobster had an amused look on his face as he rubbed his arm, with the cast around it. "I see you like the occasional back massage, eh?"

Spider-Man shook his head, chuckling, and then looked around. "So where exactly am I? And how did I end up here?"

"Think back for a second," responded Jimmy. "You had just left your battle with the Goblin…"

"Oh yeah!" Spider-Man remembered, slapping his head in mock annoyance. "Yeah, we left, and pretty much collapsed from exhaustion somewhere in Hell's Kitchen. You had somehow managed to escape the battle scene with a few surviving guys from your crew, and found us lying there in the streets, picked us up…"

He looked around again, this time taking a closer glimpse at his surroundings. "And it looks like we're in some bland old pad."

Jimmy boomed with laughter. "Make sure ya don't let pointy head there hear it," he said, chucking a thumb behind him where the door was. "We're in the boss' home."

Spider-Man nodded. So they were in Daredevil's place. Interesting. Peter privately wondered if Jimmy 6 knew who his boss really was behind the mask, but he didn't bother. The guy had such a sense of nobility and had saved his rear on so many occasions that he wouldn't be surprised if, even if the answer was staring right in his face, he wouldn't dare attempt to find out. This guy's loyalty ran deep.

"Nah, but on a serious note though, Spidey," Jimmy said, his face turning grave. "I wanna thank you for saving me and my boys back there…or at least, as many as ya could." He put a hand on his head and looked down, upset. "I lost some of my old buddies out there. A few cousins too."

Spider-Man reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, pal," he said, trying to assuage his friend. "We'll make sure their death aren't in vain though. I promise."

Jimmy 6 looked up, a distant rage suddenly appearing in his eyes. "Damn straight," he responded. "That monster…whatever the hell he is…I want him dead. Believe me…I've wanted that freak in a body bag since he killed my old buddy Ben." He clenched his fists and looked back down. "I still want his death avenged. I haven't forgotten."

Spider-Man was quiet for a moment. He dared not think about how crazy Jimmy might go if he knew that Peter had given up the opportunity, on multiple occasions, to kill a man that had made him miserable as well. Sure, Peter's relationship to Ben Reilly had endeared Jimmy to him, but he wasn't really sure why the mobster felt such a sense of loyalty to him. Either way, Peter wasn't about to forfeit this alliance if he could keep it.

In any case, Osborn was SHIELD's problem now. Good riddance.

Peter then looked at the clock on the wall in the room he was in. Already evening. _Time to be getting home to my lovely wife and my beloved aunt_, Peter thought, rising. "I hear you Jimmy," he said, extending a hand which Jimmy immediately clasped with both of his. "Look, I better get going, I think I can handle it from here. But I really appreciate you doing this and saving our rears."

Jimmy 6 held up his hands in a defensive posture. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "None of that. Not only did I already owe you a debt on account of Ben, but now you've saved my life too. For that, I don't know how the hell I'm gonna pay you back, pal." He smiled.

Spider-Man shrugged as he moved to the door, planning on checking up on Daredevil before leaving. "Lifetime debt, eh? Season tickets to the Yankees would be nice…for life! You said so!" he asked, jokingly.

Jimmy 6 roared with laughter as Peter headed to the next room, leaving the mobster behind. He looked at the bed in this room. Murdock lay sprawled on the bed, sound asleep. So much for getting anything out of him, at least for tonight.

"Oh yeah," Jimmy mentioned from behind him. Peter turned around. "I thought he was just talking in his sleep, but apparently he wants to talk to you about something. I know all you super-people have each other's numbers and all that…so give him a call when you get some time. He said it was important. Said he had found something that you had lost." He shrugged.

Peter rubbed his chin. "I'll remember to do that," he said, wondering if Daredevil might have some actual information about his real daughter…not the Tinkerer's mechanical hoax.

_Who knows_, he thought, as he aimed a web out of the window nearest him, and took off for the comforts of his wife and aunt. _It won't hurt to call. Maybe after we recover from this slugfest_.

Bushwick, NY

Vanessa Fisk clutched the child with both hands as she walked out from the car. While heading south, out of Rego Park, she had decided to stop by at the hospital. About a week ago she had gotten a checkup done for some weird stomach pains she had been having since returning to the country, and she figured it wasn't anything serious but she had gotten it tested at the time. Her results took about a week to process to see what it was, what was going on.

So now, here she was, walking into the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, the place where she had originally gotten her checkup done. Hopefully, this would just be a routine in and out, they would give her something, and she and the kid could be on their way.

As she walked to the receptionist's desk, she noticed the place was a dump and the lady behind the counter was on the phone, yapping away while filing her nails.

"Excuse me," she asked, while the girl pretty much ignored her and continued to talk.

Vanessa looked at the baby for a second, who was asleep now. She smiled at her, and then looked at the receptionist again.

"Ma'am? I've got somewhat of an emergency," she said. Again, no response.

Vanessa sighed audibly now and looked around. The chairs in the waiting area were dilapidated. The wallpaper was peeling off. A disgusting odor permeated the air, and flies bandied about the room. A few other people sat around, but it seemed like they were just homeless bums who had found somewhere to pass the time and probably couldn't afford an actual appointment anyway.

This was the best she could do? Perhaps she might be able to use her powers of persuasion to at least…change the situation.

She looked back at the receptionist, and pulled her "persuasive tool," as she liked to call it, out of her coat and pointed it at the receptionist who upon seeing this, dropped the phone on the ground and put up her hands, shaking. "C-c-c-can I help you, ma'am?" she asked.

One of the homeless bums giggled in the background. Vanessa smiled. _When in doubt, use a gun._ "Most certainly! I was actually experiencing some discomfort and contortions in my lower abdomen area…so I had actually stopped by your fine establishment last week and gotten a test. Now I'm back to see if you could give me a final diagnosis." She cocked an eyebrow, still holding her position. "That is, if you've got any openings?"

The girl scrambled to an appointment book, quickly checking, as Vanessa quickly put her gun away, hearing the sound of someone else coming down the hall. The girl looked back up and smiled now. "Yes, of course! Dr. Williams should be able to see you right now, in fact!"

Vanessa nodded, recognizing the name. "Perfect," she said, "He's exactly the guy I want to see." She then proceeded to follow the girl down the corridor, baby in tow. Confidently, she walked into the doctor's office, greeting him with a friendly handshake as he smiled back at her, closing the door so he could share the results of the test with her.

Two hours later, she emerged from the doctor's office, her face white as a sheet. She was almost oblivious to the baby in her right arm as she held the paper up in her left, reading the words over and over again. None of them really meant anything to her, except the most common one that kept showing up over and over again.

Stomach cancer.

She walked down the hallway, back to the receptionist's lobby, and the girl was back on her phone, oblivious to her again. This time, Vanessa didn't care. She didn't care about the homeless bums, or the smell, or the horrible chairs, or the peeling wallpaper.

Stomach cancer.

She walked into the lobby where just a few hours ago, she had entered so confidently and brashly and now she sat down. Vanessa held the baby in her arms, looking at the young toddler, who was now slowly coming to, gurgling awake.

Stomach cancer.

Vanessa opened her purse and found the bottle of milk, providing it to the hungry young one, as her mind had now gone completely numb.

Stomach cancer.

She had made all these plans, all these grand and lofty outlines of a brand new life free from Wilson, free from his scheming, free from all that crap she had put up with for all those years, free from the guilt of murder and suffering that even she was now inflicting. And in one fell swoop, they had all been destroyed.

Stomach cancer.

The baby sucked the bottle eagerly, eyes open but still visibly tired, as Vanessa rubbed her hair. What the hell was she going to do about this kid now? She couldn't just drop her off at the clinic. Or maybe she could? Or maybe—

As a shadow suddenly loomed over her, she looked up and gasped.

Much later on, she would learn that at that very moment, she had found her answer.

Bronx, NY

It had once been said that prior to knitting, digging the stubs of one's fingers into ones palm was a good stress reliever. It also was known to prevent against cramps and pains that would normally come in the course of participating in such an activity.

Wilson Fisk had never knitted anything in his life (except for one day in a home economics class), but he was extremely stressed, and he had much pain. For him, this trick was not working, and if anything, it was only making him feel worse.

He opened up his palms. He could not see them due to his blindness (he wondered if this was going to be permanent), but he had been digging his fingers in so hard that the indentations in his palms were now starting to drip with blood (which he could definitely feel).

Angrily, he wiped his palms on the car window, and opened up the divider that separated him from his driver.

"How much longer, Atkins?" he asked his chauffeur. "We need to be moving, and fast."

"One minute, sir," Atkins responded. "I suggest you get ready to move."

The Kingpin slammed the divider shut and sighed. He was now alone. He had dropped off the bodyguards who had accompanied him on his way to Park St at a gas station, handed them checks for their services, and told them to scram and never say a word about their work.

Things were too sloppy, and were slipping out of control. He had allowed the Tinkerer to escape, Spider-Girl had come out from under his command, Osborn was probably now under custody of Nick Fury and SHIELD thanks to the Avengers, and Spider-Man and Daredevil were still alive and still bound to interfere with him.

On top of that, he had tried calling Vanessa for the last hour, and she had not responded. He wasn't worried, he figured she was probably sleeping or tending to the child. But he wished she would pick up at some point.

As the limo screeched to a halt, Fisk opened the door, not waiting for the chauffeur to come and tend to him. If the Avengers were already onto him, there was no telling what else could have gone wrong. But fortunately, he had installed some extra precautions on his lair that ensured that only a few trusted individuals would be able to enter the place. Osborn had learned this the hard way, and anyone else who tried to repeat his spying/snooping would suffer a similar (if not worse) fate.

The Kingpin ran to the building and stopped, the chauffeur coming up behind him. It was night, and by the squeaking noise he could tell the door was open to the building in front of him. His heart sank as the chauffeur mentioned that the lights were all off.

Something was wrong. This nondescript building, which disguised his underground lair and temporary residence as he settled back into the country, appeared to have been compromised.

Still, he wasn't going to just run from this. He had to see what the hell was going on.

He turned around to the chauffeur and motioned back to the car. "Get in," he said, and the old man obliged as Fisk heard the door open and shut. Good.

Fisk then turned back around, kicked the building door open, took a deep breath, and stepped in.

He used his cane to tap around, feeling his way through the place. Luckily, he didn't have to rely on light and he could go simply by his senses, but he quickly admitted to himself the difficulty of doing this. He had always been fortunate enough to have someone guide him through these halls for the last week or so, and this time things had become infinitely difficult as he was on his own. The lights being on probably wouldn't have helped him, a blind man.

As he tapped his way around, he suddenly heard a voice.

"Wilson," it whispered. "I'm right behind you."

Fisk recognized the voice and smiled, turning around.

"Alex!" he yelled out, not caring who heard. "Thank God you're here."

As he began to tell his man on the inside about what he had suspected had gone down here, he suddenly felt something cold and metallic slap on his arms, and he instantly realized what they were.

Handcuffs.

Fisk started struggling, but Alex's voice came directly in his right ear.

"Don't struggle, sir," he said. "Thank God you're here, too."

He then could feel that the lights had turned on somewhere, and Alex then spoke again.

"Wilson…you should have never trusted me. But now, you're under arrest," he said. "I'm sorry."

For a moment, he couldn't believe it. And then he connected the dots.

The Assistant Homeland Security Director he had supposedly bought off, had been bought back by his employer and now he had pulled off this feat.

Impressive. Except that there was only one problem. Alex wasn't authorized to enter this building. Only he and Vanessa were. He hadn't even programmed this into Spider-Girl's memory.

Alex then confirmed Wilson's worst nightmare.

"We got a call from your wife," he said. "She sold you out, Fisk."

Upon hearing this final revelation, time seemed to slow…all of his senses seemed to stop working…he lost all feeling in his body…the Kingpin of Crime sank down to his knees…became oblivious to everyone and everything around him…and began crying.

_Vanessa…_

_What did I not give you, my love? Wasn't it enough? Why have you wronged me so? What can I do to win your heart again? Please, just tell me what I've done wrong, and I can change. I can make it all better. Let's not play these cruel games to each other…_

_Just give me one chance…what pain are you dealing with? I can make it all go away…_

Forest Hills, NY

"Owowowowowowowow!"

Lying in his old bedroom, Peter Parker winced as his wife, Mary Jane Watson-Parker, dug her nails into his battered back. He had come back to Aunt May's to find that the old lady was catching up on some sleep, and his wife was relieved to find him in one piece, and had immediately dragged him upstairs to get him "taken care of," in her words.

"What?" she asked innocently. "Most guys I know would kill for a back massage from a redhead supermodel like lil' old me. And you're getting one for free at that!"

Peter snorted. "Yeah…I hate to let you in on a little secret, MJ…but I actually prefer the handy stylings of a six-foot, probably 300-pound, definitely overweight mobster."

Mary Jane stopped and looked at her husband, folding her arms and feigning shock. "Why, Peter Parker!" she gasped. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Peter whistled innocently. "Ummm, nope, except that your husband kind of likes it rough," he said, grinning at his wife.

Mary Jane smirked, and playfully slapped her husband on the cheek. After removing her nails, she then jumped back on the bed and continued her handiwork, as Peter said "Aaahhhhhh…_much_ better."

Mary Jane sniffed. "If you need to use the facilities, Peter…"

Peter looked back over his shoulder. "Haven't you ever played Duke Nukem, MJ? That's like one of my favorite quotes of all time!"

"Duke Nukem?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "Oh yeah! That one shoot-em-up thingie…keep still! Yeah, I think they actually had me model for the live action film version back in the day."

Peter's ears perked up. "Cool!" he exclaimed, smiling to himself. "I was half thinking you were going to say, 'Honey, you're such a nerd!' But seriously, why haven't I ever seen this?"

"Ah, I think it got scrapped," she said, working on Peter's shoulders now. "And yes, honey, thanks for reminding me. You _are_ such a nerd." She quickly moved in to kiss a bruise on his back.

Peter snapped his finger. "Damn," he said. "Should have kept my mouth shut while I was ahead."

There was a momentary silence, and then Mary Jane's face became serious. "Honey," she asked. "I've been meaning to ask you…whatever came of this baby May thing?"

Peter was silent for a few moments, and then he grabbed MJ's hand, and she stopped the massage. He turned around and kept his hands in hers, looking up at his wife wistfully. _God, she is so beautiful. I don't deserve this woman. Thank you._

He could see the longing in her eyes. Peter knew that deep down inside, she had never gotten over the supposed miscarriage, and this sliver of hope now that her daughter could perhaps be alive had brightened her spirits considerably. Mary Jane had been happy enough when she and Peter had reconciled, but Peter had never remembered her being this happy since the times when Harry was still around, free of the formula's influence.

There was no doubt about it, they had definitely been through some rough times over the years, and whatever good news they could get—throughout all the pain and misery and all the Parker Luck that had been accumulating—was well worth it.

Every little bit.

Peter smiled. "Mary Jane," he said, reaching for her vibrant red hair and running a hand through it gently. "You know that obviously, the Spider-Girl thing turned out to be a sham."

She nodded.

"But here's the thing," he continued. "When I was leaving Daredevil's place…Jimmy 6, Ben's old friend…tells me that Daredevil apparently wanted to talk to me about something he found that I lost." He paused for a moment. "I don't know what he could be referring to…I wish I could have asked him before leaving, but before I left he was knocked out cold, and as we were leaving our little fight from earlier, I guess he mentioned it to Jimmy while I was out cold myself. But I think you know as well as I do what the first thing I thought of was."

Mary Jane raised her eyebrows for a second, and then sighed.

"Peter," she said, after digesting what he had told her. "I'm hopeful. I won't lie. But I have to say…after all the letdowns this week…I think I'm ready to move on and just put this behind us. Let's start fresh." She leaned in closer to her husband, smiling at him.

"Let's have a family," she whispered.

Peter smiled back, and then winced again. "Ow," he muttered as a sharp pain shot through his back just as MJ moved closer to him and he tried to move up to meet her.

Mary Jane looked mortified. "Omigosh…I'm so sorry honey!" she blurted out. "Um…let's try that again when you're feeling better?"

Peter weakly gave her a thumbs up sign, and then lay back down in the bed. His wife rolled next to him in the old bed, and Peter flipped the light off.

He looked up at the old glow-in-the-dark planets that Uncle Ben and he had put up years ago on the ceiling, together, and thought about the irony of it all.

Sure, he was staying here because he didn't want to go near his apartment while the Kingpin was still hanging around with knowledge of his identity, and he also wanted to make sure Aunt May was safe until this whole thing blew over. But he couldn't help but chuckle to himself to think that in this very room, years ago, he had wished that girls, hell, any girl, would give him the time of day, and now he lay next to his incredibly good looking, but incredibly amazing, incredibly strong-willed, and incredibly loving wife on the same bed where he had once had these fantasies and daydreams.

He fell asleep to these thoughts…only to be interrupted about two hours later, his spider-sense going crazy. _Aw, crap_, he thought.

As he got up swiftly, his movement awoke Mary Jane, who moaned and quickly stretched her arms, still appearing to be half-asleep. "Was' wrong, honey?" she mumbled.

"Spider-sense going crazy, babe," Peter responded, jumping out of the bed and quickly changing into his costume in record time. "I have to see what's going on here." After a quick kiss from his wife, he told her to go down the hall to Aunt May's room and make sure she was safe, and then he grabbed a coat and tossed it on. He stormed down the stairs and left through the front door, locking it behind him.

He ran down the street, in the coat, thanking his lucky stars that the moon wasn't out tonight. It was pitch black and for whatever reason, the street lamps were all dead. No one could see him unless they were really desperate. Even then, all they'd see was a man in a coat running. Whoop-ee.

Peter saw an alley come up a few blocks down from Aunt May's house, and ducked into it. He quickly tossed the coat into the trash, grimacing as he realized it wasn't exactly cheap, and then he tried to pretend as though he had been casually web-swinging around the area as he swung out of the alley and headed towards the source of the disturbance.

As he moved closer to it, he saw what had alerted him, and his heart sank.

_Osborn_…

And as he had dreaded, it wasn't normal, silly old green and purple costume Green Goblin. It was fire-breathing-dragon, screwed-up-by-the-Kingpin Goblin.

Spider-Man soared into action as people from the surrounding homes ran out in terror. Osborn seemed to ignore them as he moved down the street, but Peter didn't care. He was not going to let this idiot, whether he was under anyone's control or not, continue this sort of crap in his backyard.

He finally reached the Goblin from the side and whacked him in the head, causing him to emit a roar. _Good_, he thought, as he webbed the house behind Osborn and came around to the back of the monster's head.

Surprisingly, Osborn tried to hold up…his hands?

Peter didn't think about it again though as he kicked Osborn in the back of the head, causing him to fall down and roar in pain.

"_P-p-p-Parkerrrrrrrr!" _he suddenly hissed, fallen down on the ground but staring up at Peter. _"W-w-waaaaaaaiiiiiitttt…do notttttttt…attackkkk meeee…_"

Peter shook his head, and then kicked the downed monster in the teeth. "Shut up," he said.

The monster threw his head back and roared again, clearly hurting. Peter then noticed that his skin was changing colors between green and his natural hue.

Big deal, he wasn't here on a mercy mission.

As Spider-Man landed down to where the monster had fallen, he started whacking him with punches that caused Osborn to emit a cry after each hit, and Peter was confident that with a few more, he would have the freak out for the—

Suddenly, before Peter could go any further, an arrow seemed to fly out of nowhere and connect with Peter's arm. Pain immediately shot up through his body, and Peter fell over, yelling.

Peter pulled the arrow out of his arm, grimacing as he saw blood. _Geez, Spider-Sense would have helped? _It was nothing that couldn't be fixed, but still…

He looked up in time to see why his Spider-sense had not gone off. Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton, stood on top of a roof two houses down, in position to fire off another arrow right at Spider-Man.

Iron Man hovered right next to him, and She-Hulk was on the street below, flanked by Captain America. Soaring in the air was the Wasp, who took the opportunity to speak.

"Spider-Man," she said firmly. "Stand down, or we will be forced to engage in combat against you."

Wait…_what?!?!?!_

**TO BE ****CONCLUDED**** (yes, you read right, true believer!! It only took us five years, but FINALLY!) in Peter Parker: Spider Man #****165 – **_**Régler les Derniers Détails**_


	10. Régler les Derniers Détails

_At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility._

**PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN**

#165

Starring:

**Peter Parker, **aka** SPIDER-MAN**

**Norman Osborn, **aka **THE GREEN GOBLIN**

**Mary Jane Watson-Parker**

**Aunt May Parker**

**Wilson Fisk, **aka **THE KINGPIN**

**Vanessa Fisk**

**Tony Stark, **aka **Iron Man**

**Janet Pym, **aka **The Wasp**

**Jennifer Walters, **aka **She-Hulk**

**Steve Rogers, **aka **Captain America**

**Clint Barton, **aka **Hawkeye**

**-----**

**The Face On The Milk Carton--Part Ten of Ten**

"_Régler les Derniers Détails"_

Forest Hills, NY

_I've always been in awe of Wolverine's healing abilities…must be nice, when you're bleeding, to have it just all go away in about an hour or so. _

_And then there's me._

Peter Parker looked at his wounded shoulder, having been struck by an arrow moments ago.

_Yeah, then there's me. More power? More pain! Ugh, I sound like one of those damn UFC guys…which is where I would have probably ended up if I—_

His thoughts were interrupted as he finally was spoken to by the originator of the arrow.

"Spider-Man? You heard the Wasp. Stand down," said Hawkeye, having loaded up another arrow and aiming at Peter, who had a fist balled and ready to strike Norman Osborn again.

Peter dropped the man-turned-monster to the ground, who was now unconscious. He looked at him for a moment, then looked back to the Avengers. He rubbed his arm gingerly, then snapped his fingers.

"Oh, I get it! This is the part where you guys get all the rest of the Avengers to come out of these empty houses," he said, pointing to the homes around them, "and then you all yell out 'Surprise!', and balloons start coming down, and then you tell me what I've won, and then Tony, you take your mask off revealing yourself to be Ed McMahon, and everyone goes home happy! Right? Right??"

The Avengers stayed in place, not amused. _Damn,_ thought Peter. _Well, it was worth a shot._

Peter sighed. "Okay, so since you guys are in the shoot-first, give answers-later mode, talk to me and tell me _just what the hell is going on here!_"

Hawkeye finally lowered his bow and arrow, returning them back to the holsters on his back, and the Avengers finally moved closer to Peter and Osborn's downed form. She-Hulk, as she walked up to Osborn, pinched Peter on the cheek. "Hey there, cutie," she said, smiling.

Peter snorted. "Well, at least someone's in a good mood," he said. "What's wrong with the rest of your teammates?"

"Hang on," she responded, dismissively waving off Peter. She knelt down by Osborn and produced a syringe that had a green-looking fluid to it and administered it to Osborn. She injected him with it until the syringe was empty, and then she carefully removed the syringe from Osborn and stood up, turning back to Peter. "You'd better take a few steps back. I don't know how this is gonna go, but…"

Without warning, Osborn's monstrous form suddenly began to rapidly mutate back to normal size, and after several minutes he was fully human again.

For a moment, Peter took in the scene, somewhat surprised, and then after realizing something, he turned away in disgust. "Ugh, gross!" he exclaimed, putting up his hands over his face.

She-Hulk looked confused for a second, then began laughing. "Come on Spidey!" she said, chuckling. "Don't you ever go to the public gym or something? I'm sure you've seen worse…"

Peter shook his head, still grossed out. "That's all fine and good, but I really don't want to see the naked form of my biggest enemy lying at my feet," he said, pointing at the shorts that had torn apart during Osborn's reversion back to human form. He thought back to the streaker he had accosted earlier in the week. "Besides, I've had to deal with streaking criminals recently. This is just worse."

The rest of the Avengers flew over, and Peter looked at Hawkeye. "So you mind telling me what that was all about?"

Hawkeye shrugged. "Sorry, man," he offered. "But we're under strict orders to retrieve and make sure no harm comes to him. I hope you understand."

Peter was pissed off now, and pointed a finger in his face, slightly wincing as his wounded shoulder burned. "Listen buddy, I _don't_ understand," he said. "You just shot my arm for no reason, and lucky for me I have these nifty little spider-powers that keep it from hurting too bad. But yeah, one of you guys better tell me why you're so interested in Osborn."

Captain America finally held up a hand to Hawkeye, who was getting equally ticked off himself, and then he looked back at Peter. "Look, Spider-Man, first off, thanks for saving my rear again back in Denver," he began. "But do you remember how it went down over there? You and I ended up saving Dr. Doom's life, right? So let me ask you, how is this any different?"

"It's damn well different," Spider-Man responded. "Doom wasn't putting anyone in danger, Osborn was terrorizing innocents in this sleepy little neighborhood."

Captain America cocked an eyebrow. "Was he?" he asked. "He wasn't fighting back. You were aggressively going after him."

"Yeah yeah, so I was a little rough on him," he said, irritated now. "I still don't get why you guys are so interested in him?"

"All right," responded Captain America, looking down at the pavement suddenly, tensing up. "Well, what I'm about to tell you isn't going to be easy for you to hear, Spider-Man, but…Nick Fury wants to bring Norman Osborn into S.H.I.E.L.D. And this whole thing with the Kingpin was his test."

For a moment, Peter was dumbfounded, then he began laughing hysterically.

The Avengers were briefly caught off guard, and then Captain America showed his annoyance.

"I'm not joking, Spider-Man," he said sternly. Peter stopped laughing and stared at him, shocked. "We've been watching your battles with him. We think he's changed. So we wanted to talk to him. See if we could use him in our ongoing mission. The only problem is, the Kingpin nabbed him and complicated things. Luckily for us, the guy still has his conscience because he had no clue what he was doing when the Kingpin nailed him with that formula, but when he tried to reverse it Osborn showed some guilt for his actions even though the Kingpin's reversion attempt was botched. And now, we were able to reverse the effects fully and as you can see, he looks to be OK."

Peter looked down, stunned. Had the world gone mad? Did the Avengers, the so-called "world's mightiest heroes," really decide that Norman Osborn could be trusted? Then he looked back up at Captain America.

"You guys don't know what the hell you're doing here," he said, infuriated. "This guy is a nut, and he's killed so many people over the years. True, this time he wasn't under his own power, but I've seen this act from him in the past. If you really think he's changed, and if you want to rehabilitate him and use his cunning and wit and business acumen for good and all that, then go ahead and knock yourself out. I can't really stop you, since you guys are threatening me if I disrupt your boss' master plan. But the day he turns on you...and I'm telling you, he will turn on you…don't come back to me asking for what you should do. Because I'm telling you right now—the only place Norman Osborn belongs is in a high-powered, maximum security cell. Period."

Captain America's expression was full of guilt as he digested Peter's suggestion, then he responded. "Thanks for your input, Spider-Man. But we've got our orders here." He then offered his hand to Spider-Man, and Peter let it hang there, refusing to reciprocate. Captain America sighed, then turned around as Iron Man wrapped Osborn's body in a sheet and grabbed him, and the Avengers left the neighborhood, their new acquisition in tow.

But as the Avengers departed, Peter could have sworn he saw Osborn's eyes flicker open, just for a moment, glance at Peter, give him a mischievous smile, and then wink.

In return, Peter gave him the one-finger salute.

_This will never end, will it?_ he thought, exasperated. Then he looked around as ambulances and fire trucks descended on the scene, and decided it was time to call it a night. He shot his webs off into the distance and left for home.

_Interlude._

_The story you've read above should be seen as having taken place some time between Amazing Spider-Man #505 and #506. After the above events, Amazing Spider-Man #506-508 take place. While we show that MJ was filming a movie in our story arc, these three issues show Mary Jane trying her hand out at theatre productions. This apparent contradiction is resolved by the shut-down of the filming throwing the status of the movie into limbo, and MJ having to go find other work in the meantime. Meanwhile, Peter is betrayed by Ezekiel and taken to Africa, but at the last second Peter's "mentor" has a change of heart and saves Peter from death at the hands of the Spider-God, sacrificing himself in the process. Peter leaves the confrontation understanding that while there may well be a totemistic aspect to his origin as Spider-Man, the essence of who he is and how he became a crime-fighting, costumed web-slinger remains unchanged._

_To continue following along, after these issues, the "Book of Ezekiel" arc, please disregard all further continuity from the Spider-Man mythos (meaning everything from "Sins Past" onward does not count towards our stories)._

_In the Spectacular Spider-Man title, written by Paul Jenkins, the last story to play into our continuity is "Spectacular Spider-Man #14."_

_Finally, none of the events in "Marvel Knights: Spider-Man" onwards occur in our continuity (even though that was a solid 12-issue run by Mark Millar that really did a great job at making an epic but _good _Spider-Man story, something we hadn't seen in a while in any Spider-man title)._

_Now that we've addressed any continuity issues for those of you who are into that sort of thing, let's start the story back up again. Six months have passed since the events of our first nine and a half issues. But there's a reason we haven't ended things yet (and have rudely interrupted you true believers in the middle of our story), because there's a few more events that are going to take place after this little interlude._

_Daredevil finally called Peter about a week after the events of the beginning of this issue, and told Peter he had found Baby May. But when Peter asked him where she was, he had no answer, and Peter apologized to Murdock but said that he couldn't believe this anymore until he saw her in the flesh and got confirmed DNA evidence that his daughter was, in fact, his daughter._

_Meanwhile, Aunt May has begun acting strangely. The old woman has somewhat distanced herself from her nephew and his wife over the last several months. Most times Peter calls her, she always has an excuse, saying she's busy with a project, and that she doesn't need help. The times that they are able to get together, she demands that she come over to their place, or if they do come over to her house, she makes it quick and usually Peter and MJ leave after about an hour. The couple have begun wondering what's going on, but have respected her seeming desire for more privacy._

_Where do we find our hero now? Well, the movie Mary Jane was filming throughout this story-arc is finally completed and released, and she will be attending the New York premiere. Peter is able to be with her at this huge event, and we now find the young couple heading to the red carpet, Peter especially unsure of himself since this is the first time he can recall that he's going to be subject to the paparazzi that MJ has had to put up with over the years._

_We'll join our hero and his lady love soon. But for now, let's check in with Aunt May at her Forest Hills home and see just what she's been up to_.

The stacks of paper had piled up all around the kitchen. 7500 to be exact.

May Parker wrapped up her counting and smiled, as she took a seat at the kitchen table and digested her evening pills. She had finally figured out the best way to help Peter out, to make sure he wouldn't get smeared in the media anymore because of his superhero deal. Oh sure, she had written to the newspapers at first, and then she had gone to talk to the media in person, trying to influence them, but it hadn't really worked. For a while, she had put this idea of trying to rehabilitate Peter's image on the backburner, but it all came rushing back when she heard the news about Peter's daughter possibly being alive.

Why? Well, her nephew was a good man. She and Ben had raised him to be that way, and even if Peter was OK with the smearing and didn't care about his reputation, she knew that any child of Peter's didn't deserve to have to see and read about her father in such slanderous and abusive terms. Kids were young, they didn't understand, and it might scar them or cause them problems in school and with friends. That motivation had got May to thinking about a more effective way to do this thing.

And then one day, she had gotten an idea, and ran with it. There was no better way for her to change Peter's status quo as a vigilante and an outlaw, than this way. It was going to be a huge task, especially at her age, but she was confident she could pull it off. Hadn't she been through so many things already, and still survived? Otto, Nathan…her being the Herald of Galatus…the kidnapping. And of course, Peter's revelation.

She was a little guilty that she had been keeping this from Peter, but she wanted to surprise him with it. When he found out what she had in mind, she hoped he wouldn't mind. There was no better vehicle for this sort of thing.

_Besides, wasn't he keeping his biggest secret from you for all those years_?

May shuddered and flushed out such thoughts from her mind, as she heard the doorbell ring. She stood up and walked to the door, and gasped as she saw who…or what…stood there before her…and what the person was holding.

Manhattan, NY

"Oh Peter, brighten up, you're going to love this," exclaimed Mary Jane.

Peter looked at her for a moment. She was wearing a dazzling, glittering silver dress which had a plunging neckline (that seemed to be all the rage in Hollywood these days). The dress went up to her knees, below which she wore silver high heeled shoes. Peter held up his hand to the shoes and waved at them, his reflection waving back at him.

"Hey," he mused. "I can see myself in your feet."

Mary Jane rolled her eyes. "Whatever makes you less nervous, Tiger," she said, leaning back into her seat.

The two of them were in a limo, heading for the premiere of MJ's movie that was going to be released tonight. The producer had asked MJ to fly out to LA for the premiere out there, and Peter wasn't sure if he could go out with her there due to not having any more school days to miss, but Randy Robertson, who had gotten into the acting world himself lately, had offered to Peter to serve as MJ's date for the event, and MJ had agreed. Originally, MJ had offered to go alone, but Peter was OK with it. Actually he knew the real reason why Randy was interested in going—to try to see if he could fix things up with his ex-wife, Mandy, who was still out in California.

As Peter poked around the limo, playing with the flashing lights and checking out the TV, MJ poured a single glass of wine for the two of them. She knew Peter didn't really drink, as he always wanted to be on his toes if he had to go into action, but she figured a few sips wouldn't hurt him, and they could share a glass.

As she raised the glass to her lips, the limo suddenly screeched to a halt and the wine spilled over her dress. "Damn!" she yelled out. She then jumped to the partition, opening it swiftly, and prepared to yell at the driver when she saw what had caused them to screech.

A line of police cars were blocking off the road, and a few cops were running in front of the limo. One came to the door and began to ask the limo what his business was and who his passengers were. Mary Jane decided it was time to take the initiative. She tugged on Peter as she put the wine glass down, opened the door and stepped out.

"Hi boys," she exclaimed, the wine glass still in her hand. She gave the cop a dazzling smile. "Sorry to be giving you trouble. My husband and I are just trying to get to the premiere where we're supposed to be. You guys know me, right? Mary Jane Watson-Parker? The ghost in _Angels from Hell_?"

The cop eyed her for a second, then stared at the widening stain on her dress from the wine spill. He smirked. "Yeah, I think I heard about that. Well, sorry to spoil your fun, but we've closed off the 495 bridge going in. Maybe try the Williamsburg?"

MJ groaned. "You're kidding. What happened?"

The cop shrugged. "We're still waiting to hear the full story of what went down, but it sounds like an idiot on a boat ignored the water tower staff and just tried to fit it under the bridge, but ended up ramming it. So now he's just sitting there, while traffic is backing up." He pointed to the traffic in front of them and behind them, which she and Peter hadn't noticed until now.

MJ's shoulders sagged, and she looked down. Peter though, wore a determined look on his face. He turned back to the driver, pulled out a $100 bill, and then walked away with MJ to 50th and 21st.

They stared at a subway sign. _"Subway will be closed today, please use the bus service."_ Peter looked back at MJ, then he got an idea. She was going to hate this, but he didn't want to let his wife down. He knew how important this movie premiere was to her, and he'd make sure that she'd make it, bridge accident be damned.

"Hang on, MJ" he said, smiling. "I know how we'll get you there."

MJ froze. "Oh no, tiger. Please, it's only going to—"

Before she could say anything further, Peter had ducked into the abandoned train station and was now coming out in his Spider-Man costume.

MJ sighed and smiled. "Well, this should be interesting," she said, as she grabbed onto her husband.

"Hey, look on the bright side honey," Peter said. "The stain will probably dry in the wind." MJ playfully slapped him, and then they took off.

The police and the limo driver looked up in surprise as they saw Spider-Man taking the actress they had been dealing with just moments ago, past the bridge, web-swinging above all the traffic. "Sorry boys," she yelled out. "Busted bridges don't stop Mary Jane Watson-Parker!"

As Peter swung through the air with his wife in arms, she looked around, fascinated. Even though they had made it a tradition after their marriage to go on a web-swinging date at least once a month, this still never ceased to amaze her. She shivered slightly, and as Peter maneuvered he threw his coat over her.

"Peter, I spent two hours ironing that thing," she moaned.

Spider-Man looked at his wife. "Come on, honey. Priorities. Movie premiere, or ruffled tux?"

After a few more swings, the two came down, literally crashing right into the premiere, just as Joan Rivers herself was standing on the red carpet.

_Joan Freakin' Rivers?_ Peter mused. _Oh boy, I wonder how MJ is gonna get out of this one. _

Spider-Man looked at his wife, who exchanged glances with him, looking panicked. But before she could say anything, he took off just as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Mary Jane to fend for herself with the brash, inquisitive, red-carpet-expert. Joan's jaw dropped, and then she looked at Mary Jane, recovering and shoving a mic in her face.

"WELL, THAT HAS TO RANK UP THERE AS ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC ENTRANCES OF ALL TIME! WOW, I'm JUST AMAZED! AMAZED! MARY JANE WATSON, I'M JOAN RIVERS, WITH THE ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK! BUT WHAT AM I SAYING? YOU KNOW ME, DON'TCHA?" Joan proceeded to wink knowingly and playfully elbowed an increasingly bewildered MJ, as cameras flashed all around. "WELCOME TO CLEARVIEW CHELSEA CINEMAS, WHERE TONIGHT THEY'LL BE PREMIERING YOUR FIRST MAJOR STARRING ROLE IN A FILM! BUT FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE TO SEE THIS LITTLE OUTFIT YOU'VE GOT HERE!"

Mary Jane, still out of breath from her brief little jaunt, gave Joan a wan smile and curtsied. The cameras flashed ridiculously as her co-stars, who were up ahead by the door of the theater, looked back in surprise. She was clearly stealing their thunder, and a few of them looked furious.

Joan stepped behind MJ, the cameras following her and focusing on the backless portion of the dress. As Joan stepped past MJ, she whispered "I see you've got a dirty dress there. What were you thinking, chica?" But then she stepped back around and looked back at MJ. "BUT ENOUGH OF THAT! YOU'RE HANGING AROUND WITH SPIDER-MAN! IS THERE SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN YOU TO? JUICY, JUICY STUFF I THINK!"

Mary Jane gulped. _Now this is a little bit of a pickle that I've never been in before. For those of you keeping count at home, I still haven't said a word._ As Mary Jane cleared her throat and prepared to say something, she was interrupted again.

"As a matter of fact," said Melissa Rivers, Joan's daughter, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, "If you read today's _Daily Globe_, they've done a huge feature on you, showing the many pictures of you with Spider-Man over the years. Mary Jane, you must have so much to tell us, right?"

_Well, so much for saying something._ MJ found herself at a loss for words. She had decided to wear a mask a few times when swinging around with Peter, but there had been plenty of other times where she had forgone it, thinking no one would be able to make out her face up so high in the sky.

So much for that. Someone had just apparently cashed in years' worth of pictures of her swinging around with Peter. _Makes Jonah look like an amateur by comparison. Character assassination 101._

Before she could speak, she was interrupted again, this time by Joan.

"OH WAIT A MINUTE? IS THAT THE HUSBAND? COME HERE, COME HERE, COME INTO THE LIGHT, AND SMILE FOR THE CAMERAS, SO THE WORLD CAN SEE YOUR HANDSOME FACE!"

_Peter??? Ugh, perfect timing.  
_

"Oh, the lovely Joan Rivers! Yeah, I've been a huge fan for years," said Peter, who must have just nudged his way through after changing back into the tuxedo. He stepped into the spotlight and wrapped an arm around MJ's waist and smiled as the cameras went off. _What the hell?_ MJ was stunned that Peter had somehow managed to come to her rescue so quickly. "Joan...I hate to bother you...but..." Peter pulled out a pad of paper and a pen, smiled, and pushed it at Joan, his eyes twinkling. "Can I have your autograph?" _Well, he certainly seems to be handling this better than I am_.

Joan was finally caught off guard, but recovered immediately. "OF COURSE, OF COURSE! THE PLEASURE'S ALL MINE!" With that, she shoved the mic at the cameraman and told him to hang onto it, as she became occupied, but Peter and MJ weren't out of the clear just yet. Melissa cornered the couple again as her mother worked on an autograph (and a long message too, apparently).

"So, now that we've got both of you here," she said, smiling mischievously. "Peter, how do _you _feel about your wife swinging around with Spider-Man? I mean, surely you must be aware of this, right? It's been going on for years under your nose, and hell...they've been kissing, and you're OK with it? Or is there more to the story than--"

Peter cut her off and grabbed the mic from Melissa, whose jaw dropped, and then he turned to the camera. This was become too much of a spectacle now, but MJ had a feeling Peter was going to cook up a great story. "Thank you, Melissa," he said, nodding at the visibly furious hostess. Joan, meanwhile, continued to scribble away on the pad. Peter looked directly into the camera now, putting on an act. He pulled MJ close to him, and began talking. "Well folks, I've got a confession to make, and I may as well make it on live TV."

He became very serious and looked down. "I'm Spider-Man..."

He trailed off, and the cameras continued to flash but the crowd had gone dead silent and Mary Jane turned white as a sheet. _Peter, what are you doing!?!?!?_

_"..._'s photographer!" he finished, grinning, and the crowd roared with laughter. He winked at his wife, and then bowed to the crowd. Melissa looked embarrassed now. Peter was stealing her buzz. "That's right, I'm his photographer, and so the reason why you've seen my lovely wife in the air and locking lips with the wall-crawler is because we needed the money. Yeah, it was me who sold those pictures to the _Globe_. You've all probably seen my work at the _Bugle_, but I've kind of moved on from them so I figured why not help out the rival company a little bit, ruffle my old boss' feathers a little." He stopped for a minute, letting that sink in. Jameson was not going to like that comment.

Peter shrugged and continued, twirling the mic in his hands. "My wife and I know Spider-Man pretty well, and so one day a few years back I talked to him about the economy, what people should do when times get hard, all that good stuff...and then I jokingly said well, if my wife ever becomes a big Hollywood star some day, maybe I'll take some compromising pictures of her and sell them to the papers. So we kept the joke going a bit. I asked Spidey if he wouldn't mind kissing her in a few, swinging around with her a bit, and I'd take the shots. It carried on. Every year or so we did this. I saved 'em up over time. Just some fun between friends. Well, times are hard now, before today and the nice advance check that MJ got for this film, we could barely make ends meet. So last month I figured it would be a nice way to drum up some publicity for my wife for her movie, and I put these out there. Spidey didn't know, my wife didn't know. I guess the ruse is up, though."

He looked around at the crowd, which had fallen silent again but was somber now. "I just want to ask everyone, if you were in my shoes, what would you do?" He waited for a response, but got none. He then produced a check from his pocket, and MJ gasped as she glimpsed the amount. "So as compensation, I'm returning the money I earned and then some for the sale of these pictures back to the _Globe_." As he put the check back in his pocket, he then looked MJ in the eyes. "I don't want to ruin my wife's reputation for something she didn't do. I trust her implicitly, and I'll take the rap here, but she shouldn't have to suffer and be slandered because of my stupid decision. I love her." He then swooped down and kissed his wife in dramatic fashion, cameras clicking and flashing as the crowd cheered and some rowdier folks boorishly encouraged Peter.

With that, Peter and MJ finally continued into the theater, leaving the Rivers sisters behind, but not before Peter swiped the pad back from Joan and blew her a kiss. "By the way, I loved your roast!" he added.

As they walked hand-in-hand into the dark tunnel that connected into the main theater hall, Mary Jane smiled at Peter. "What you did back there...that means more to me than any rescue you've pulled off over the years. Thank you, tiger," she said in a low voice, stopping to kiss her husband gently on the cheek.

Peter smiled as they continued. "Well, money-grubbing husband sounds a lot tamer than cheating-newbie-supermodel-turned-actress," he said, chuckling. "And you know me...I've been thinking up convoluted stories for years, and I had that one sitting on the backburner. I was serious though, I don't want you to miss out on your dreams because of some idiot papparazzo. No one should ever imply that you were unfaithful to me, or anything like that. And I'm willing to be vilified in the national entertainment media if necessary." His face darkened. "That doesn't solve the issue though, that someone has been taking pictures of us for years, and decided it was a good time to try and ruin you just as you were about to hit it big."

"Let's try not to think about it right now," MJ responded, shaking her head as they entered the hall, packed with other well-dressed, rich and famous folks. Mary Jane waved around the hall with a flourish. "Just enjoy the show and spectacle."

Butner Correctional Complex, NC

"Mr. Fisk, you have a visitor."

The former Kingpin of crime heard the prison hall's door slam open and the tentative noise of walking come his way. Immediately, he stood up. He could tell by the pace exactly who it was, and why she was here. After six months, here was his chance to make things right. Here was his chance to repent for his sins. He would apologize to her, they would work it out, and somehow, someway, when he got out of here he would make sure never to hurt her feelings again. He would also be a better role model for their daughter.

He winced for a moment. His eyesight had slowly been coming back, unbelievably. The facility's physician had described it as nothing short of a miracle, and Wilson felt that somehow God was giving him a second chance.

Vanessa showing up after so long seemed to be confirmation of that.

Wilson wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him, but for a moment he almost thought he could make out his wife's outline.

"Hello Wilson," she said from behind the bars. "It's been a long time."

Fisk was surprised for a moment. She sounded so weak, so lifeless. What had happened? Was it the guilt? Had she been beating herself over this thing as much as he had?

"Vanessa, my love," he began. "I'm so sorry. If I had known what you were going through, if I would have listened, been a better husband...a better father...not tried to deceive you so much, things wouldn't have turned out this way. Just you see, when I get out of here, things will be different."

Vanessa began sobbing openly, shocking Wilson. "No Wilson, no," she said. "There won't be a next time. Things aren't going to be different. This is it. This is the last time. It's all over."

In his surprise, Wilson managed to only utter "What..."

The Kingpin had killed men with his bare hands. He had ordered the deaths of countless others. He had prided himself on being tough and manly since he was in school. He had stood up to superheroes and spat in the faces of supervillains. But nothing could have prepared him for what Vanessa revealed next.

"I have cancer, Wilson!" she blurted out.

He stared at her, wide-eyed, and suddenly he could see her clearly. She was still beautiful, but she looked more frail than she had ever been. Her once beautiful hair was now clearly replaced by a wig. Bags of sleeplessness were visible under her eyes. This was the first thing Wilson Fisk was seeing in a year since he had been shot and lost his eyesight.

And then, what happened next would scar him for life.

Vanessa stopped sobbing and looked as though she was steeling herself for something else. She briefly looked at the floor, then she looked back at her husband. "I'm going to die, Wilson," she said. "But because of all the misery you put me through, I figured I shouldn't have to die slowly. And I wanted a better life for the kid. So I gave her away." Surprisingly, Fisk found himself uncaring about the child at this point. Her importance paled in comparison to his wife. She smiled, and to Wilson's surprise it didn't seem forced. "You know, I've always wondered about the things I would do if I knew I was going to die the next day. And what do you know...now, I've got nothing left, darling. I've got nothing to lose, expect maybe another few weeks. So I'm going to repay you for everything you've never given me." She pulled out a gun that she had somehow concealed and snuck in, and Wilson suddenly heard the yell of guards as they saw the glint of it and began to run towards her.

"Goodbye, Wilson," she said. Fisk closed his eyes and held his hands up to his face, and heard the bullet ring. He recoiled, waiting for his life to end, waiting for the bullet to rip through, waiting for him to pay for everything he had done to his wife.

It never happened. Wilson opened his eyes and looked down at the ground.

As the guards reached the Kingpin's cell, they found Vanessa Fisk lying outside of it on the floor, the gun still smoking in her hand and a pool of blood forming near her head. And the Kingpin, sitting in the corner, silent, expressionless, in some sort of shock.

The mob bosses would later comment that it was the greatest irony ever--that on the day Wilson Fisk regained his eyesight, he lost his voice. Indeed, Wilson Fisk, witnessing the scene that had taken place in front of him, never spoke again to anyone.

After his wife's suicide in front of his own eyes, done to spite him, he had nothing to say anymore.

Manhattan, NY

"Oh, stop it!" giggled Mary Jane, as she and her husband stepped out of the cab. It was 2AM, and they had just gotten back from the premiere.

"_Anytime you wish it, you may call for me_," said Peter in a high-pitched voice. He had been trying to imitate his wife's lines in her film on the way back from the premiere. They had taken the limo to about halfway through the ride home, and then had gotten off and taken a cab the rest of the way. As the two giggled, making their way into the complex, Peter swooped his wife up and grinned at her suggestively. "Would the lady like to celebrate our latest triumph over the evil forces of entertainment with a luxurious bath, perhaps?" MJ smiled back, and as the two reached their door, Peter held his wife up with one hand and fumbled around for his keys with another. Mary Jane looked at him with mock-amazement.

"Wow, you're _sooo _strong!" she commented. Peter chuckled as he found the key and brought it to the knob.

But then he noticed it was unlocked. He stopped and looked at his wife, and put her down. He pulled her behind him, counted down, and then kicked the door open, tensing for action.

Instead, he found a sight that he was not expecting.

Aunt May sat in their living room with a baby in her arms. She smiled happily. "Peter," she said, standing up and holding the child up to him. "You know who this is."

He gasped. Could this really be? After almost two years?

Mary Jane came forward and joined him, touching the child. Neither husband nor wife seemed to comprehend what was happening. Peter then broke the silence, finally managing to speak. "Aunt May, how--?"

His aunt smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "I wish I could say this was what I was working on for the past six months," she said. "But actually, you shouldn't be thanking me." An awkward expression came over her face, and then she almost became embarrassed.

"Aunt May," asked Mary Jane, brushing the tears away as she looked at the girl who so closely resembled her and her husband, quietly asleep. "I hate to ask, but is this some kind of a trick?"

"No, it's not," a voice suddenly boomed from the living room. Peter pulled May and MJ behind him and looked down the hall. A tall figure emerged in the shadows, and revealed himself in the light. "And I've got the DNA test results to prove it."

Long bushy hair...beard...disfigured skin...trench coat...black gloves...and those eyes that so perfectly reminded Peter of his own.

Kaine smiled at Peter and his wife. "Hello, brother."

**That's right true believers, not only has Baby May finally been reunited with her parents, but now....KAINE has returned!!!!! You all remember the "other" clone of Peter Parker, don't you? So many questions though! Is he back for good? What happened between him and Aunt May? Are Peter and Mary Jane going to be able to handle finally getting Baby May back after finally moving on? How will they explain her re-surfacing to the world at large? Won't it only re-ignite controversy around Mary Jane's budding acting career? And finally, Aunt May reveals her big secret next issue which will have huge implications for our wall-crawler! "The Face on the Milk Carton" may have ended here, but we're just getting warmed up! So be here next time and we assure you, ALL will be laid bare in "Explanations," issue #166 of PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN! Now get cracking on those reviews and letters!!!!**

On a side note, I know it took almost exactly five years to finish this storyline, but I want to thank everyone that took the time to read it and especially to those who left a review. Please, by all means, leave your feedback, positive or negative. I hope I've improved as a writer over the years, and I hope this story does Spider-Man and his mythos the justice it deserves.


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